I was wavering on giving this a slightly higher score purely because it was more memorable than some others in its genre but because there was some redundancy in the plot and the ending was just a bit far-fetched, I'll keep it here while looking forward to the potential of a second season. For those who care, it doesn't end in a hard cliffhanger so you won't let out a big sigh wondering if and when the next season comes around.

Always have a soft spot for plots where someone who was wronged returns to the scene as a formidable adversary. This one was more unique because while it falls under the vengeance theme, it's quite calming and doesn't have the usual overwhelming woes or anger that is sometimes thrown in your face excessively. The slight overacting actually works really well here because it creates that special layer of humor over the darker theme.

While some viewers might not enjoy how the plot can ping-pong a bit, it actually does make it more realistic. In the real world after all, you don't take down corruption down in one fell swoop and then life is all peachy. People who are corrupted will fight back and fight even harder in their desperation.

There isn't the most intricate weave of plot layering but as mentioned, it's pretty unique (at least from what I've come across) and overall enjoyable. There is almost no romance, didn't feel like skipping through any parts, Namkoong Min was very likeable as the main protagonist, and against all odds, I totally fell for the Kim Jung Nan character.

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Although this movie can't be categorized as a masterpiece, it was incredibly memorable. It helps that the main leads, Sean Lau and Leon Lai, are two of my favorite actors. They have this available with Cantonese or Mandarin audio and the subtitle files are easy to find.

The story is summarized pretty well in the synopsis and it really is as simplistic as following two friends who belong to rival gangs. Both are loyal to their leaders and this creates inevitable complexity for the friendship. The differences in their characters and the way they communicate with each other non-verbally was fun to watch. One of the highlights for me in this was how vastly different their girlfriends were, and how each of them showed their loyalty to their men when faced with extreme circumstances.

I've always loved the gangster movies from the 90s. While this one has some holes with the plot and the decisions the leads made were questionable, it was still very unique and many of the scenes stayed in my memory even after years of not having seen it.

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A key memory that I have for this film is sitting at a friend's house with his younger brother browsing through my starred ratings on Netflix, and telling them I've never given a 5.0 on anything before, until this title showed up. They are Korean and have not had too much exposure to Chinese films. The younger brother really didn't want to watch this one because the picture quality just wasn't good enough for him and he had zero interest in slower-paced dramas. We forced him to sit through it anyway.

Let's just say after the film was over, he turned to us with tears in his eyes and exclaimed how it was unexpectedly awesome.

I loved King of Masks in so many ways. So much of it was done with attention paid to factual elements of its era and every scene provided subtle meaning. If you pay attention close enough, you'll find many hints of humor as well that would be missed otherwise. I won't mention too much of its plot because it really will be a spoiler (although the synopsis provided some already).

The actors did an amazing job in their roles but the child actor was definitely the star. The very realistic and complex development of the bonds between our leads will tug hard at your heartstrings. And if you turn your nose up at older films with poorer picture quality, maybe get someone to force you to watch it as well and you may just become a fan like my friend's younger brother.

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Although this was a re-watch after many years, it was as enjoyable as I remembered it. Since I watched this one immediately after a re-watch of Dong Yi (which I dropped) and because they have the same director, the similarities and differences between the two were even more noticeable. Despite this series being the older one, it was still superior in its execution.

The story revolves around the female lead, Jang Geum, and one of the best parts for me was the much deeper dive into her childhood. Most series with this feel usually brushes quickly on the lead's tragic past and pans to their adulthood. But in this one, you become more invested because of a good introduction to her parents and her youth. She was made out to be pretty much a genius at learning as expected but she was in multiple situations that showed she still had plenty of room to grow.

The politics is very heavy around the royal kitchen and royal physicians which provides a unique glimpse on how these seemingly straight-forwarded offices can influence the court. There are also many historically factual explanations around food/herb combinations which is interesting. Scallion and honey? Yes, I looked that one up.

The negatives I have are pretty common for these longer series where some scenes dragged along with some unnecessary flashbacks. The coincidental and tragic situations our female lead goes through also ends up feeling repetitive at times where it loses its impact. And lastly, the last few episodes felt like an add-on when it should have been an intricate part of Jang Geum's history.

Nevertheless, it was worth this second watch.

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How do children cope and churn through adulthood when raised by a twisted psychopath?

You'll be thrown into a world of dark suspense right from the first episode and you'll find yourself wanting to get to the next episode even if to just unravel the mystery.

I want to commend this series for being able to highlight a number of facts. When surrounded by overwhelming gloom, even a brief glimmer of light can create dispute within the self. Whenever a sob story is heard about a shitty parent or loved one, that person usually blames all of their misgivings on that individual. But there usually is- whether it's the other parent, a sibling, a grandparent, etc who has been in the background trying to protect them them. People tend to take for granted any support structure they were provided and become ignorant of those who've had absolutely none.

They did a good job here at portraying life from the different viewpoints of each son. The internal and external struggles they are made to go through alone and together. The three main actors, despite their personality differences, really did mesh well together here.

It could have been better if there was more in-depth background on many of the characters but it is also an 11-episode series. Points were taken off because while the initial episodes kicked off with good momentum, it started to lag a bit during its mid-point before picking back up. From this mid-point, I already had a hunch as to where the plot was leading so the ending was a bit predictable.

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This is one the more well-rounded medical series I've come across so far. There isn't any hyper-dramatic scenes that you sometimes get with these. There are still some of those falling ill at convenient moments to move the plot along but not offensively. If the female lead was cast and scripted differently, it would have improved the overall feel but our male lead makes up a lot of this shortcoming.

The female lead, Gye Jin Sung, started off as the type of protagonist I usually detest the most. Usually forgiven by the masses because of her "passion" despite being senseless and harmfully reckless. The type who selfishly create problems based on their own sense of moral but is usually forgiven easily for it. She does redeem herself a bit after finally siding with the right person but it also felt like her personality oddly did a sudden transformation which didn't keep with character. What helps her case here, is she'll seem like an angel compared to the ex.

What can I say about our male lead, Lee Young Oh? I've always enjoyed watching this actor on screen and he doesn't disappoint here. Let's just say you barely notice the lack of chemistry with the female lead because he is just that good.

There is a nice amount of depth built into the plot even if you only pay attention to the script of our antisocial genius neurosurgeon. The rest of the cast does a good job and the development between relationships are believable. I also appreciate that they kept the dramatics at a good balance and the pacing of the episodes was done well with just a tad of rush towards an okay end.

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Very minor spoiler in this review:

I came to this series with hopes for some badass supernatural in a historical period but ended up with mainly lighthearted comedy, heavy romance, and just a bit of drama. It had potential but it was cluttered with both hits and misses.

Felt a pang of wanting to drop this within the first two episodes because the initial love story just didn't make much sense for multiple reasons. I needed to fill in justifications many times in the plot to continue watching. Example: For a being that supposedly has lived thousands of years, why would he feel the intense need to save his first human who wasn't really suffering that much comparably or even deserving of it? Love at first sight? Instead of being wise in all his years, he was too foolishly naive.

There was also almost no background story to many of the key characters which was really disappointing. The excess time spent on the romance and interaction of the second couple should have been spent on giving others some more depth. Although their coupled scenes weren't bad, I still fast-forwarded through a good portion of it. Fortunately the female lead was actually likeable, although they did water down her character near the end.

The transformation of our supernatural beings was just sad and really not believable when those around them supposedly became overly fearful of their "monstrous" image. They verbally tried to portray their "powers" as being overwhelming but it really fell flat when none of it really came into play during the fights. But at least it didn't fall into the tacky category.

Although there was little explanation of anything and the plot didn't flow very naturally, what saved the series was the camaraderie of all of our characters. The development of the relationship with our second couple was done much better than the first one. It was still fun to watch and I laughed out loud plenty of times. It's a good one for those looking for romance/comedy but not great for those looking for something with more action.

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Having come off a couple of re-watches with Dong Yi and Jewel in the Palace, wanted to try a historical series I haven't seen before. And unintentionally, I started yet another series with the same director. A few episodes in, and it becomes quite obvious. So in this review, there will be a bit of a rant.

Let's start with the positives. Right off the bat within the first two episodes, it had me in tears. What happened in these episodes triggered some tears later even during the flashbacks. This is probably also the first time where a spoiled princess (literally) became one of my favorite characters. The intention of the story was also pretty unique revolving around a horse doctor which is what initially had me intrigued. And as usual with this director, the supporting characters were the most likeable ones and did a great job in their roles.

However, because of the formula the director uses over and over again, it has exactly the same flaws as well. Dare I say his formula may have been great once but became outdated? The main leads in all his series are just over the top and dull, which is odd because the supporting characters are always much more lively. He tries too hard to emphasize this idealistic image and they are always portrayed as the underdog who is forever humble. But to me, they end up feeling arrogant because all you ever see is them being happy when someone offers gratitude. They accept it all and rarely ever passes along credit to those around them who've significantly helped them. Sure, they are the main sob story but they shouldn't always be portrayed as the ONLY capable hero. At some point, it is time to stop pitying them.

All three of his series I've seen so far all have similar plot lines as well. The royal family coming down with emergencies again and again, and the lead comes to the rescue. The plague-like disease that impacts the country occurs again and again, and the lead comes to the rescue. For this series in particular, there wasn't much chemistry between the main couple.

It was still enjoyable for the most part but I spent a lot of the series fast-forwarding or putting it on at least a 1.25x speed (which was done similarly with his other series). And as usual with his other series, I wish the vibe in the beginning was kept throughout. Nevertheless, still couldn't drop it so there's something to be said there. If you loved his other series, you should definitely check this one out.

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I really wanted to like this. It was listed as a recommendation from The Fiery Priest and there is a soft spot for the main lead from Prison Playbook. Didn't realize it was a remake of a UK version until I started the series already (usually prefer to start with the originals).

The concept of the story is great but having gone six episodes in, already found myself fast-forwarding through so many of the scenes. The only parts enjoyed was the brief period prior to the main lead entering the alternate world and his interactions with Kang Dong Cheol and Jo Nam Shik after. Unfortunately, our only female lead here is irritating to watch because she looks and sounds creepy most of the time. Although I understand that they are trying to emphasize how women were (are) treated in a male-dominated career and that she has much value to add to her team, her character just isn't done well at all. This really hurt the series for me as she has a lot of screen time. As for the pacing, it isn't necessarily slow but it isn't intriguing either and the repeated flashbacks that occur too often doesn't help.

A few reviews stated there was comedy to look forward to but unless it occurs after the sixth episode, I found none. Ended up reading a more detailed synopsis of the story and it does seems interesting but perhaps I've watched too many crime series in my time or had too many laughs just coming off of the last series, still can't find it in me to continue.

I will end this by saying there are some positives that this may be worth watching for. The portrayal of the world with the decade(s) difference is done pretty well which includes the emphasis on how different crime-solving is without the technology we have today. There is also a good development between the two detectives where one is old-school and used to getting around constraints by bending the rules a little while the other who is too focused on rules and evidence but not so much on the impacts of letting criminals get away because of them.

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I really wish more attention was paid to details with this show. The main detective is an actor I've enjoyed watching in other series. They've focused too much on the depiction of the episodic crimes but not so much on what makes sense.

If the voice profiler has supernatural hearing, you would think she would be overwhelmed by noise instead of being able to narrow down certain sounds that just happen to break the cases. When someone is on the phone and she's standing right beside them, yet unable to hear the conversation on the other end? As for the murders, I get that the whole concept of the call center requires victims to have access to their phones in order for her to hear what's going on but the realism of this area should have been written better.

The first case was already off the mark when she knew the woman was hiding. Even if her coworker did reach over and call the victim back, she made no effort to stop him. This doesn't make any common sense and less so when she was knowingly aware of what could happen. It was also extremely irritating when the woman told her the church she was nearby and yet no one seemed to make an effort to do much more other than to sit and listen in apparent shock. With the second case as an example, does it make sense for a serial killer to simply leave an unconscious body in a building without being tied up or taking away her phone? I don't even care much about them putting enormous effort into detailing the crimes but at least the flaws shouldn't be so glaring. The annoying aspect is how brutal or traumatized criminals suddenly feel remorse through her saying a few words. This severely downplays the reality of those suffering in our world.

As much as I want to continue watching, even for those few actors I appreciate, this one will have to be dropped. The higher marks despite dropping this one is due to the other actors less the lead female.

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This one is a tough one. Right from the first episode, the atmosphere was just ever so slightly overly dramatic which set the tone on what to expect from this series: a lighthearted drama with comedic tones. This would be great if done well.

So if you're expecting to see any serious crime solving, this isn't it. It is almost like an attempt to do a live-action version of the anime Detective Conan by solving each case fairly quickly. However, unlike the anime, the cases here don't stimulate much emotions or empathy toward any of the players.

The two male leads do have a pretty fun dynamic (particularly Leon Zhang). Unfortunately, the female lead is just the standard irritating type and instead of adding any value, she pulls it down. The series had the potential to really be pretty good if they managed to do a better job at switching up that underlying comedic tone during what should have been more somber moments. The three leads are pretty monotone no matter what situation they are in and because of this, it ends up emphasizing the fact that they are just a bunch of wealthy kids with zero empathy who are playing detective. The attempted hint at a sob story for the lead female to explain her bratty personality really does nothing for me either. But if you're one who likes these type of characters, you'll find her adorable.

I do appreciate the respect of the multiple languages, where it isn't spoken in one of those nonsensical ways. It's also always nice to hear the Shanghainese language in more mainstream media. The heavy incorporation of foreigners in the plots, however, just doesn't work well here.

This is a series where you don't really need to pay much attention to and the cliffhangers are easy to walk away from. Since I don't hate it, I've been going back and forth on whether to drop it. There is the curiosity on seeing more of the background of the male leads but not much else.

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*Very minor and broad spoiler*

The first episode will draw you in immediately with its calm yet increasingly suspenseful atmosphere. It's not an easy series to describe so I'll keep it relatively short. Because the story has such a strong romantic baseline, I half expected it to overpower the crime and suspense as some series do. Fortunately, it was well balanced and it did not disappoint.

The only aspects that made it a bit less than for me was somewhere in the middle when the original flow started to feel rushed. The shifting of Baek Hee Sung's emotions was abrupt (even if there was a trigger) and since that shift, it became less and less believable. Mostly because it was followed by dramatic events clumped too closely together which caused some encounters to become a tad repetitive, and some plot holes to develop.

Nevertheless, this series will draw you in and keep you in enough suspense to want to keep watching in lieu of sleep. I think it's a great one for those who enjoy different genres inclusive of psychology, romance, crime, or mystery. While it isn't a masterpiece in any particular genre, it did equally well in all of it.

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A Bit of a Drag

Based on reviews as well as being recommended by other reviewers who has somewhat similar opinions of other series, I was super excited to embark on this one. And while I can still force myself to continue watching due to it potentially getting better, there's just nothing intriguing enough to keep going even after 10 episodes in.

There's no real major flaw to highlight and there was quite some potential of being a unique undertaking of "royalty" in the beginning. Instead of the usual elegant and noble demeanor of royals , it was quite interesting to see the more "normalized" relationship with leaders that weren't born into it that type of restriction/upbringing. Although they did take it a bit too far and some scenes were just awkward.

While there were many great actors and characters in the series, the one that I just couldn't bring myself to like was the main protagonist, Xu Feng Nian. Even if his character was supposed to "pretend" to be narcissistic and spoiled (and despite them trying to paint him as some sort of kind soul deep down who refuses to kill anyone), he still comes off strongly as a narcissist and is quite abusive to those closest to him for that matter. His level of intelligence isn't believable enough either for it to balance out. As for the plot flow, while the story does move along with setting changes and introduction of new characters, it also somehow feels circular. There's too much emphasis on Xu Feng Nian and not enough on the supports. There's a lot going on but it really isn't going anywhere. So for these two reasons, I decided to do the drop.

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Average but charming

It's a good series to watch if you aren't looking for anything that can cause lack of sleep due to wanting to get to the next episode. Having recently getting back into the Asian series mode, I was super excited to see a new Wuxia series with high ratings. However, the series has the same flaws as with many others. The acting of the main protagonists are just slightly less than average and the only saving grace is they have some chemistry with each other. It feels like actors these days are chosen based on looks and less on their ability to act and draw the audience in. The actions scenes were below average and it made me miss again the days when actors with some actual martial arts skills were chosen for these types of roles. The plot had potential but the transitions were choppy, keeping it lighthearted throughout.

I did appreciate that the historical costume and makeup weren't as ridiculous as some other series, and nothing was too overly dramatized. And despite it being an overall average, it was still entertaining enough to finish.

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Although the mortician aspect would have been interesting, this series is a poor imitation of The Longest Day in Chang'an. While the dramatics actually worked there, it was poorly executed and unnecessary for this plot. I do appreciate that more Chinese dramas are starting to bring back some of the essence it once had, before they tried to incorporate poor graphics and terrible costume work. The action scenes are feeling more skill-based again instead of the floating around nonsense or having characters with strange hairdos that are ridiculous for any time period. One of the mains here also starred in The Untamed and while that one was also somewhat gimmicky, it wasn't as severe and it made more sense due to the supernatural aspect.

Nevertheless, at least visually, this series was done better than some of the others I've seen but it still had too many gimmicks attached to a poorly written script:

- They make Gao Bing Zhu seem like some brilliant fighter and observer but for some reason, he doesn't realize the guy he killed was wearing a completely different mask and didn't have the wound he inflicted earlier? Ugh.
- Baili Hong Yi ties a flimsy white cloth around Gao Bing Zhu's wrist and tells him it's some type of magical knot that he would never be able to untie himself from? And Gao Bing Zhu is somehow threatened enough to give in to his demands? Ugh again.

For what seems like a fairly expensive production, the camera work was subpar. Each episode also made less and less sense and the cheesy dialogue only became more cringe. This series really felt like they tried to reuse or combine all the elements of what made The Longest Day in Chang'an, Nirvana in Fire, and The Untamed successful, but didn't bother to care whether the effects actually made sense for the plot. Note that what didn't make this one work for me wasn't because of the actors but from the cards they were dealt.

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