Reviews

Lovely

This drama was a breath of fresh air from the ever powerful, smart, nobody could plot against me leads from 98% of Chinese series.

It's rare these days to find leads who are naive, silly, immature, petty, sometimes dumb, make mistakes, live as true youthful individuals who discover themselves in a series of life and death situations and fooled by the biggest villains with noble masks.

The friendships and love relationships built in the first 25 episodes had depth and meaning. Their connection was beautifully written. They all were from different parts of the world yet they chose each other and protected one another as much as they possibly could with little that they possessed. They were kids who no one had faith in. Their words to each other were not sweet but their actions were courageous, admirable, genuine, and beyond the word love. The sacrifices to actions can't be described by words, you have to watch the drama yourself to feel and see. Episodes 26 to the end showed that the youngsters who would bicker all day, run around and play, lived care freely and happily had grown up into responsible, calm, and respected adults YET their hearts will forever be pure and connected.

Yuan Qi, Yuan Qi. It can't get any better with Wang An Yu as Yuan Qi. His eyes, demeanor, to aura was gentle, sincere, full of righteousness, warmth, and love. His love for A Yin never wavered, lessened, or changed with time. If anything, it became stronger, endless, and sweeter. This is a story about a boy who fell in love with a girl and did everything he could to protect her, make her happy, and stay by her side, forever. He chose her over the world without a moment of hesitation.

Zhao Lu Si as A Yin was heartbreakingly good. A Yin loved Yuan Qi unconditionally, no matter what, above anyone and anything else in the world. She was witty, humorous, sincere, caring, selfless, cute, persistent, good hearted, and a great friend. The way she followed Yuan Qi around, ugh, so sweet. No one can be A Yin besides Lu Si, no one.

Hong Yi and Yan Shuang, the second couple, are friends you can never find EVER again in any lifetime. They were the backbone of Gu Jin/Yuan Qi and A Yin/Feng Yin.

Anyway, if it's not your cup of tea, try again next year and again next next year. Sometimes, dramas just hit different depending on the time, but don't miss out on this one. It was pretty well written if you don't skip or skim anything. Even the villains were decent. I'll remember this drama for a long time to come.

Read More

A Gritty Crime Drama

This drama is a gritty crime drama that delves into the dark underbelly of organized crime. Starring Ji Chang Wook, Wi Ha Joon, and Im Se Mi, the series explores themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the quest for power.

Story
The narrative is intense and fast-paced, focusing on the rise of a criminal empire and the moral ambiguities faced by those within it. The story is filled with twists and turns, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats. The writing is sharp, with well-developed characters and a plot that explores the complexities of crime and justice.

Acting
Ji Chang Wook delivers a powerful performance as the conflicted anti-hero, while Wi Ha Joon shines as his ruthless rival. Im Se Mi adds depth to the story as a woman caught between loyalty and survival. The supporting cast is equally strong, bringing authenticity to the world of organized crime.

Cinematography
The visual style of the series is dark and gritty, perfectly capturing the harsh realities of the criminal world. The action scenes are well-choreographed and realistic, adding to the tension and drama of the series.

Music
The soundtrack is intense and brooding, perfectly matching the tone of the series. The music enhances the suspense and emotional impact of key moments, making it an essential part of the viewing experience.

Rewatch Value
"The Worst of Evil" has significant rewatch value due to its intricate plot and rich character development. Each viewing reveals new details and layers, making it a compelling rewatch value.

Read More

"People cannot live alone. You need comrades."

Fermat’s Cuisine combined mathematics and French cuisine for an entertaining drama though one with a rather narrow view of success for most of the episodes. I could tell it was based on a manga from the male lead who was overly enthusiastic both emotionally and physically while everyone else played it cool.

“Less than perfect is meaningless.”
High school student Gaku gives up on math competitions when he realizes his skills are not extraordinary despite how much he loves mathematics. While Gaku is making lunch at a diner, Chef Kai jumps the counter to taste the food he’s prepared for the staff out of leftovers. Kai hires Gaku to work at his two-star Michelin French restaurant and pushes him to use his math to excel at cooking. The other chefs do not welcome the new favorite as they’ve seen many supporting characters come and go. Kai wants Gaku to become peerless and as isolated as he is, a problem for Gaku who has a tendency to draw out people and their strengths. Kai is hiding a secret that might push all of the chefs over the edge.

“Those who aren’t superior are the evil of this world.”
The concept of the drama was pushing the limits of believability. Kai hired the best chefs from around the world and used only the best ingredients. He spent more than he made and relied on special patrons to supplement the restaurant’s income. It was also difficult to hear over and over again that in order to be successful you had to be the best and be able to open the door to truth or else it wasn’t worth trying. If you couldn’t be the smartest mathematician, time to quit. If there was a chef better than you, time to hang up your apron or at the very least, go to work for that chef. Being the best meant being alone. Gaku was almost destroyed by the push to become “peerless,” as if that was some noble cause. In reality it probably rings true, but there so were so many big egos in the battlefield of the kitchen there was barely room for the pots and pans.

“The higher we reach, the more alone we become.”
Aside from the delicious looking meals the chefs whipped up, and there were many, the strength of this drama was the journey the Japanese chefs took to develop as individuals and as cooks. The international chefs were left in the background for the most part. Gaku, Kai, Ranna, Hotei, and Magoroku all had character growth, learning about themselves and how to collaborate and work with others. Their relationships were a rollercoaster ride of distrust, becoming comrades, distrust, and comrades again. The acting was a bit of a rollercoaster ride with some stronger performances and some weaker ones. I found it interesting that as much as Kai preached “The peerless have no one,” that he had enormous financial support. Most restaurants have narrow profit margins and somehow he was able to keep his open through the help of friends.

“Do what you love.”
Despite some of the over-the-top acting and relentless creative arrogance, I enjoyed this drama. Watching people make delicious dishes, even Naporitan/Napolitan with ketchup, is always fascinating to me. The camaraderie that developed between the kitchen staff was heartwarming as well as the road to bromance and culinary enlightenment. So, lettuce celebrate friendship, food, and math, but have a snack nearby because this drama will make you souper hungry.

1 June 2024

Read More

Much improvement from Max and Nat

While I don't dislike the pairing of Max and Nat, their acting always felt "off" for me.. it's hard to explain exactly. Sometimes I felt like the chemistry wasn't really there or they just needed some polishing up. Since they'd been around for a while, I would expect "more" from them. But they weren't ever terrible and still very enjoyable to watch overall.

They definitely showed improvement here, in all aspects. Their individual acting as well as acting together was very good. There were only a couple of instances where I thought "Oop, there's the Max and Nat I remember" but I would say 90% of the time, it was much more refined and "grown up," if that makes sense. I don't mean grown up as in NC content, just in the way they have matured in their own acting and being comfortable in their own skin and opposite other actors.

Going into this series, I was really exited to see Gun again because I loved him in Unforgotten Night but thought his character there had a weak story arc and he, as an actor, got short changed to be able to showcase his actual talent. He certainly had the deserved screen time and storyline here in Two Worlds. He may have been in this weird main/side character role creating a love triangle that wasn't actually a love triangle, but it all worked and he pulled off the struggle and two world personalities well. (Although his was one character that wasn't much different in either world, it was more the situations that were changed because of how Max's character was different in each world.)

Speaking of the storyline.. it was really well thought out and executed in a way that made sense, even with its complexity. I was afraid that when there are alternate universes and different versions of the same people, it might get confusing but everything was very clear throughout the entire series.

This was another series where I wish the side couple had more screen time and overall effort put into their development. They had a friends to enemies to lovers arc that was interesting but never truly explored properly. All of their scenes together felt like an afterthought as if the editor was like "Oh yeah, we should probably move this couple along" after one or both of them were on screen with the main couple or other characters. I don't know if there are plans for a spin off for them but they certainly had potential that unfortunately wasn't utilized. Even so, when they finally got together, it was so satisfying. But once they did, we literally never see them again. I don't even know if they can be considered a side couple or if they were just there for fan service, at this point.

One of the most interesting aspects of this show was the fact that the entire chain of events in both universe timelines were all dependent on whether Thai decided to follow in his father's footsteps or if he followed his heart and more true nature. It was interesting to see that idea of how one person's choice could effect so many other lives.

I was very impressed with this series and am surprised I don't hear more people talking about it. I thought it was very good all around and I would definitely watch it again or recommend it to others.

Read More

I don't want to support this series anymore.
The vaccine propaganda was the final nail in the coffin. The HPV vaccine is one of the most dangerous after the Covid vaccine. That people STILL have no clue ... unbelievable. I saw a young girl's life destroyed because of that vaccine. So before someone is coming for me, maybe you look into it yourself. And don't go to the CDC for information. Pharma is corrupt. Now they want to make more money and advise this vaccine to guys too! You can't make this shit up! The greed knows no limit.
Back to the series: very charismatic actors, very good acting, nice humor, nice OST. But the series is trash. A guy who had plenty of sex in his life, but still didn't kiss anyone? This is a fantasy, only done to keep the viewers on the edge of their seats waiting for the big kiss.
I'm not doing that.
If you think MSP was bad, where we were teased with the kiss, god knows on how many occasions, to the point where it felt like one character didn't want to kiss, then think again. This is worse.
I feel offended in many ways watching this series.
I'm not that thirsty and not that stupid. They should just make those guys kiss and get over it.
I will wait for a real mature series where those two act, and not this kindergarten story. And if someone thinks I'm only interested in sex and kisses - please! This old accusation again? I'm not interested in watching those dumb scenes (will they, won't they kiss!). That's all! SUCH A DAMN WASTE OF MY TIME!
Not wasting anymore of it, that's for sure.

Read More

Gradually from ugh to aww.

Might contain a spoiler, and english is not my first language. Aside from how the storyline itself is quite "home sweet alabama" moment, except they're not related by blood, overall it was fine. Yeah.

The story itself started from when they're still young, where you'll see a lot of abuse, violance some sad moment and it was until episode 2 or 3. Personally, I keep on tapping right-arrow button on my keyboard to make it fast forward as I was not able to keep up with its slowness. It was slow for me and was an ugh (personally).

However, those slowness was explaining a lot on how Yuan developed his feelings for Qian. Which then also explains a lot with whatever things happened next as when they became an adult.

Until they finally became adult, this is where I start to develop my proper interest in this story. I don't want to spoil a lot of thing, but I'm really happy with the character development of everyone here. As day goes by in the story, my aww -insert cute face- also grows a lot.

Lots of lesson can be gained through the story itself, which honestly touches me up a LOT. It shows a lot of love from a sibling, along with shows love from partner as well. It might be questionable because of how Qian and Yuan who are technically a sibling (but they're not related by blood) went from stranger to siblings to lovers. But oh well, I'm fine with it.

All I can say is that, yeah it's worth watching. But, if you're that type of person who can't keep up with the slowness of this story, then it's totally up to you if you want to rewatch it or not. Personally, I would just skip first few episodes and start watchkng the episode where they're all finally became an adult.

Read More

When good CGI meets questionable loveline

Having watched the trailer months ago I highly anticipated this drama. Especially with the amazing costumes, high profile actors/actresses and beautiful CGI effects. However my excitement got quickly met with disappointment upon watching the first few episodes and onwards. Not only did the plot fell flat, I also still can't wrap my head around the mainleads loveline.

Let me explain: The story starts out with a child (ML) crossing the border of Tushan in an attempt to survive an attack. After this he gets taken in by a seemingly older lady (FL) who could've passed as his aunt. The difference in age, appearance and demeanor had immediately set the tone for me as to what their relationship was: either aunt-cousin or teacher-student. Even though ML grew into a full fletched adult as the story progressed, his personality remained more or less the same to me: playful (even childlike I might say) and expressive whereas FL remained stoic and authorative (haven't seen any expression from her other than the go to pokerface). The lack of character development made it nearly impossible for me to break free from the initial aunt-cousin perception that I had formed at the beginning of the story (I mean hell, she basically raised him, saw him grow up into an adult and from time to time still mentions this throughout the drama). Their love therefore, just felt downright wrong and out of place to me.

I honestly wished that they casted a more younger looking actress for the role of FL. I mean don't get me wrong Yang Mi looks absolutely beautiful for her age but when put next to ML, the age gap can be seen and felt, making it much more difficult for viewers like me to break free from the initial "protective/stern aunt - rebelious cousin" image. That being said, I'll still continue to watch the rest of the story as we're only halfway through. I wanna give it a fair chance though I don't have much hope for it.

Read More

Great transmigration costume production

This is a great transmigration costume production with great actors and a very interesting storyline.

It has a “Unchained Love”-vibe about it. Perhaps that is why I enjoyed it so much. So, don’t miss out on this one.

Summary should read something like this:
Song Zhao Rong transmigrates into the body of the eldest Princess. She is one day “asked” by the Queen to marry a Eunuch, Xiao Yu, in order to maintain the power of the throne. The Eunuch, a Governor, has the reputation of being cruel and vicious with numerous women on his conscience.
Not able to escape the marriage, she enters the bridal chamber and awaits meeting her new husband. When he finally arrives, she realizes that he forcefully married her because of an incident as children where the body’s original owner offended him by saying that he was neither male nor female and that she hated him for that. Thus creating a grudge. His fierceness scares FL and has her fearing for her life.
When she later meets the Queen again, she finds out the real reason behind her forcing FL to marry the Eunuch - to kill him. Soon, Song Zhao Rong is caught between a demanding Queen and a husband that scares the living daylight out of her.
But this Eunuch seems to come with a whole set of secrets and might not be the kind of person she thinks. Soon, the two of them are entangled and involved in a fierce power struggle and a big conspiracy.

Read More

Okay, but nothing more

This was okay. I wish romcoms were still romcoms though. Who thought it was a good idea to add TWO unnecessary antagonist sub-plots into the show? So dumb, to be honest – I just skipped them🤭😪. The old lady had one-sided beef because the male lead didn’t want her to be his sugar mommy?? And the other dude was some anti-fan?? Don’t even ask, I skipped all that. The secondary couples, and romance in general, were super cute though. In my opinion, Kim Young Dae shined well in this show. He had good comedic timing and his chemistry with Lee Sung Kyung was also great. He was a lot more expressive here than he was in “Moon in the Day” (granted, those shows have … nothing in common really lmao). We could have all lived without the Africa storyline though… right? They represented a CONTINENT as some kind of entity (country) that needs saving as a whole from… a South Korean actor?? Weird. This was really… not needed at all (also, what was that yellow filter😭😭 that’s like American shows putting a yellow filter to show that they’re in Mexico… who told the director/editors that this was the way to go?🫣). The romance and comedy were cute enough, but I’m sure that there are better (and more consistent) shows out there.🤗

Read More

If you enjoy a drama with little to no romance in the main couple, this one is for you!

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the storyline and the characters. Esther Yu and Vin Zhang did a fantastic job at making this drama beautiful and an amazing watch. However, I found myself skipping through the last 4 episodes and even before that, I wasn't paying as much attention as I did in the beginning of the drama. As I was halfway through the drama I realised that the second couple was getting more screentime than the main couple, they got so much screentime they might as well have their own romance drama at this point! The main leads didn't even kiss until the second last episode which was BIZARRE to me considering it's "a romance of the little forest". I felt they dragged on the miscommunication between them as well as the second couple, so many episodes were wasted with the female leads hating their partners. They took the idea of a 'slow burn' way too seriously! Moving on to Yu Meiren (played by Esther Yu), she was insufferable at some points! I love the actress and her drama's but she was supposed to be smart and capable in this drama which they did show some parts of but overall her character was childish and annoying. There was WAY too much lying in this drama, Yu Meiren lied about almost everything! As I said before, they dragged out Zhang Yu finding out about her doctorate and actual lifestyle. I wish they got together in episodes 20/35 and then added drama near the end so we would've at least had a lot of time seeing them as a couple. In the time the main couple could've gotten together, the second couple dated, broke up, THEN DATED AGAIN! If you love a drama with not much romance but aesthetics and growing, this is the one for you. Apart from all this, the little kiss scenes between the main couple were 10/10! Vin Zhang doesn't disappoint. It was the same for the second couple. I will definetely not be watching this drama again in the near future but I hope Esther Yu and Vin Zhang are paired together again as their chemistry was ON FIRE.

Read More

This series should be THE Drama road map..

This drama should be what other dramas wanna be when they grow up. It's very touching, sweet, at times sad, and all around really good. The real world issues this couple faced was moving. because I could somehow relate. Throw in a little of this and a little of that and some hott scenes and you have a near perfect series.
So glad I decided to watch. I absolutely recommend that you hold on to your horses becuz it will be a rough ride. The acting and scenic views were so appealing as well I really have no complaints. As a matter of fact I'm OMW to change my rating to a perfect 10. Sniff sniff 😢.

Read More

what the fuck was this?

the only thing good about this kdrama was the acting.
the amnesia trope being introduced twice in FIVE episodes.
the fucking second lead blaming HIS WIFE for almost being raped instead of comforting her and then WANTING her back as if he was not a fucking piece of shit?
hating the male lead after he protected his ass so many times during the war, and wanting him dead???
the plot of the war with qing was NOT resolved, the only thing resolved was the romance plot!
ryang eum ending up LOCKED UP for being insane?? when he isn't??? what the fuck is up with that??? him being the only one with grey hair at the end altho he is one of the youngest in the series????

just what the fuck did i watch? i wasted my time for this and i regret watching it. it was not worth it.

Read More

It is hilarious! The best romcom!

It is the best drama I have seen and just what I needed. I was laughing so hard with Sol & Seon Jae. Their time together is just hilarious. The OST is amazing and I love that Woo Seok recorded all the Enclipse songs. In Hyuk is hilarious 😆

I love how they presented the time travel storyline as we get the best of school, college and preset eras. Also I like that they did not make the second lead turned stupid or make him do terrible things as it usually is in dramas and he ended being our hero who saved the day. I am glad that they did not pay much attention to the villain and concentrated more on Sol trying to save Seon Jae as it could ruin the drama. ( as for me it was with Queen of tears).

They made me giggle so many times! I love the acting and their chemistry is unbelievable. We could not wish for better pairing. I am so happy that the last episode was pure happiness! As it is not the case in most dramas.
As you can see I had to use the word ‘love’ so many times as I don’t know how else to describe it. I totally get why the drama is so popular and getting so much attention.

It will always have a place in my heart.
I will miss them.

Read More