Weird Science

There’s no actual serial killer-catching or mystery solving here until the last few episodes. The main villain, the male lead’s father, is already dead when the story starts. He had an accomplice working with him but this person does not play an active role until the last few episodes. The story mostly deals with the male lead Hyeon-su, and his trauma about his past and how he copes with it. This isn’t a bad premise and I think that exploring the stigma that children of serial killers encounter could be interesting, but they don’t really get into this.

I was confused about what the story was trying to say. Was it trying to say that children of serial killers could somehow inherit a psychopathic gene or that, when bullied by their communities, could eventually become psychopaths themselves? I get that a bunch of narrow-minded people mistreated Hyeon-su and his sister but it was a little unbelievable to me that not one person outside their community (not one person in the city, or even one doctor or person of science) thought he was innocent when there was really nothing to tie him to any of his father’s murders, other than the fact that he was this evil guy’s son.

Hyeon-su was so convinced that he could not feel any emotions and could not care about anyone…if so, why did he take the blame for what his sister did? If he was traumatized by the experience (if one can feel trauma then doesn't that mean he/she has feelings?) and became a ‘psychopath’, how come his sister wasn’t similarly affected? I don’t understand why he could suddenly see these visions of their father when his sister couldn’t . Given that SHE was the one who actually killed someone, why wasn’t she suffering and as traumatized as he was?

When he meets the female lead Jin-ha, he doesn’t really care about her, but decides to enter into a relationship because being with her made his ‘visions go away.’ Why did she have this effect on him if he didn’t have any feelings for her to begin with?

Later, it was pointed out how clumsy the killer’s accomplice (the ’second killer’) was and yet, nobody could tell what he looked like or find any clue about him. Also, the actor playing him was so over-the-top and deranged that even a blind man could have spotted him. The only person who met him in the past was Hyeon-su’s sister, Hyeon-ha…and yet she had to take hypnotherapy to remember him. In her hypnotherapy session, she still couldn't remember what he looked like because he was wearing a hat* in their father’s funeral.

A hat, not any kind of facial covering.

I don’t get why Hyeon-su later decided to take on the identity of a rich man’s son. This rich man’s son (Baek Hee Song) was in a coma, but was technically still alive, so what he did was completely unethical. Also, not one of them even considered what would happen if this guy woke up. Why didn’t Hyeon-su just do a Jean Valjean and assume a brand new identity with false papers?

The female lead, Jin-ha, had an unconditional love for Hyeon-su, which I normally would have appreciated but she crossed a line both legally and unprofessionally when she burned evidence that could be used against him. She was convinced he was innocent and that the investigation would clear him, so why did she have to do that? After talking to Hyeon-ha (who wanted to confess at this point), she insists that nothing be revealed. What kind of decent cop would insist that someone take the blame for another’s crime? When her detective squad discover that Baek Hee Song and Hyeon-su (the guy they’ve been looking for) are the same person and that she had been lying to them, instead of suspending her for a bit because she was personally connected to the case, they decide to believe in both of them and let them continue…based on nothing. In fact, the reporter working with the male and female lead who was once forcibly tied up and kept in their basement for a few days suddenly develops Stockholm syndrome and becomes a loyal friend to them.

One of the serial-killer-duo’s victims is a woman named Jung Mi Sook. For some reason, they decide not to kill her and predictably, she reappears later to add more drama. During all this time, she somehow ended up imprisoned by a human trafficking group. This group had no connection to the story whatsoever but they forced it in by making this gang have ties with the rich old couple and the second killer...who conveniently turned out to be Baek Hee Song! This means that by taking his identity, Hyeon-su got himself into deeper trouble..but it’s nicely resolved in the end because he has a lot of plot armor. Also, the rich couple try to get rid of Hyeon-su using this trafficking group.

One of the last dramas I watched had a man get up miraculously from a wheelchair. It also happens here, but the difference is that the real Baek Hee Song had been in a coma for more than 10 years and had not used his legs/muscles. How could he not only get up but outrun someone instantly? How can a maid, who was hired by the Hee Song's because she was deaf, suddenly hear and tell what is going on? It also turns out that Baek Hee Song killed his mentor, the main villain and the original serial killer, by bashing him in the back of the head. For some reason, people conclude that he committed suicide but how does one do that by getting smashed from the back?

The story actually ends at episode 15 but they decide to extend it by giving Hyeon-su amnesia. This is not a trope I care for, but some of the dramas I like have had it, so it was not a deal breaker. In here, they added it to prolong Jin-ha’s suffering over Hyeon-su, as if he didn’t have enough baggage to give her. He also spends 15 minutes crying in a self pitying mess over the fact that he ‘can’t have emotions.'

The reason I gave this drama a higher rating is because the actors Lee Joon Gi and Moon Chai Won performed well..but that’s it. It lacked more logic than anything I have ever seen before.

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The male lead (Pha) is kidnapped when he is a child and forced to live as a bandit. When he tries to be different and educate himself, he is punished and one of the people closest to him is violently killed. From that point on, he doesn’t really go against his evil stepfather (Seua Phan, the head bandit) anymore. In fact, his kidnapping of the female lead (Nampeung) is basically him carrying out orders. Pha is a pretty good fighter and even has superpowers…but unfortunately, he cannot, and does not go against the established power hierarchy in his ‘bandit village’; he doesn’t go against or speak against his evil stepfather until the very end of the series. Seua Phan is the most powerful character here because he dabbles in dark magic…it’s what he uses to keep the village hidden from the police, to teleport and to even to win a fight. I’m not sure why, for all his powers, he couldn’t have the bullet wound in his leg cured, but I let that slide.

I get that a traumatic experience can affect one for life, but it’s normal to hope that that the main heroes and heroines of these stories can somehow overcome and conquer them. At some point much later, Pha indicates that he wants to work with the police, but he doesn’t really do much to bring it about. Despite the fact that Nampeung is forced to be there against her will, she still falls in love with him, but she doesn’t have much choice- he is after all, one of the few good men left in that place and doesn’t touch her or force her to do anything even though he pretends (has to pretend) to. It is disturbing that, if a woman in that village is unmarried/unclaimed, she is sold off to rival gangs and treated like an object.

The hero and heroine do get along and like each other for the most part, but there were times they had these frustrating conflicts because once Nampeung realized that Pha was the same as her (meaning, forced into the same situation as her) she would try to convince him that they could escape, but he simply wouldn't hear of it.

He took care of the people under him but his delusion of being a caring Robin Hood protecting his people forever and ever, was a false one. The people under him may have been safe, but the ones under his evil stepbrother and stepfather certainly weren’t. It took a lot of convincing from his dumbest, most annoying underling that he couldn't live like that forever that finally made him relent, reunite the heroine with her parents and try to work with the police and surrender.

There were things that I liked in this drama. The main couple were brought together in an objectionable way, but they got along and had a good relationship for the most part. The actors playing them (Mike and Mookda) had a good and natural chemistry. Mike does well in these physical, macho roles whereas Mookda is very charismatic, spirited and reminded me a lot of a Disney princess. There was a lot of good sismance, too. I like Nampeung’s friendship’s with Namking and Phikun.

This is one of the few dramas were I grew to like the female antagonist. The only thing I didn’t like about Grachao was how she tried to attack Nampeung…but other than that, I really felt sorry for her. She suffered a lot and had no one to protect her. It’s actually a little unbelievable that she didn’t die after all that happened, but I’m glad the story developed her further and gave her a happy ending.

The special effects and fight choreography weren’t much (think early 1990s standards) but they were entertaining and fast paced. I like how they incorporated powers and a bit of Thai folklore here and there. The forest ‘monsters/zombies’ were well rendered and they reminded me of the mythical creatures in a lot of SouthEast Asian tales.

The second male lead (Lieutenant Praothep) started out as very useless but turned out to be a strong character.

The story had a lot of potential. If I were to rewrite it, I would make it so that both Pha and Nampung were undercover and worked together instead of Pha trying to do everything by himself and being very uncommunicative and untrusting of everyone.

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Overall, this was a pretty entertaining watch. I thought it would be just another Squid Game or Battle Royal knock off, but it wasn't. What I found interesting was that even if there were many similarities between these shows, Alice in Borderland was definitely its own thing.

I loved the puzzle games and the variety of challenges; I am not a gamer and I don’t play cards but they explained the rules in a way that could be understood by anyone. The show also used different areas of an abandoned cityscape very effectively for its background. It was refreshing how the game backgrounds would switch from an abandoned building to a hotel to even a beach resort.

The male lead was pretty smart and capable; it was a lot of fun watching him come up with last minute solutions when it seemed that he would lose. Despite being a very good and pure character, he also knew how to trick people, which came as a surprise but very handy for survival. At first, I didn’t like how he seemed to be the only smart character but it turned out that there were other characters (like the mysterious Chisaya) who were just as intelligent and could come up with their own ways to win.

I heard somewhere that the female characters were shallow in comparison but I didn’t think so. All FLs here were very strong, likable and had different capabilities. The parallels between the main FL Usagi and the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland was represented well, in that they made her a mountain climber who was very good at parkour; she also provided a very good motivation for the ML. Kuina, who gave the initial impression of being a beach bum, turned out to be a very capable fighter while Ann was not just the Mad Hatter's henchman but an intelligent forensic researcher.

One of the things I didn’t like is how the characters would sometimes have these overly long, philosophical discussions which really didn’t serve any purpose, It made some of the episodes (and the game that was ongoing) boring. I liked the challenge with the King of Clubs for example, but it could have been more exciting if they trimmed down these overly long conversations between ML Arisu and the king. I am not sure why they did it, it was as if they were trying to make the plot deeper than it had to be and I felt it was unnecessary.

Another thing is that, while I don’t mind the violence, the level of injuries the characters got (particularly in the last episode) was too much that I really could not understand how they survived. While I am happy that they did make it, it seemed impossible, given how brutal the fight scene was.

I am also not sure about the final challenge with the Queen of Hearts and how she was able to make the ML lose hope at first. Even at the very end, I wasn’t sure what the whole point of Borderland was…was it created to punish people who did wrong things in the real world? Two seasons have already passed but many important points weren't cleared yet. I heard there was going to be a third season but to be honest, I kind of worry that they will stretch the plot out too much and ruin it. It was exciting to see the joker card at the very end but there is a danger of ruining a good thing when it takes too long to come up with a proper conclusion.

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The English title for this drama is misleading. The male lead is not a bad person; it just so happens that the female lead’s family disapproves of him because of his background/status. This is basically a reverse Cinderella story with a poor ML and rich FL and a lot of the conflict stems from it. That said, this is a melodrama, so it has the usual tropes and makjang elements one can expect; I only recommend this if one likes watching this type of show in the first place.

It is pretty good for its genre. The best thing about this is the chemistry between the ML and FL, which is very intense and heartfelt. It’s one of the best I’ve seen in a long time and it doesn’t matter whether the ML or FL are having a romantic moment or a scene of heightened conflict. Mario and Yaya really sold it; they got along so well that there were plenty of times when they didn’t even seem to be acting. They were very natural when they were together.

I am not surprised about Yaya’s performance since I’m familiar with her work. In her last melo lakorn, she efficiently played a very fierce and strong FL. In Keu Teur, her character is gentler and more subdued, which also works since this means that she gets to play a different type of role. She really nailed the role of Saikhim, a character who loves her father in spite of the fact that he bullied her since childhood. Saikhim comes from a wealthy, but very toxic family and yet she doesn’t lose her goodness throughout. Yaya does facial expressions very well; one example is the scene in the beginning of the second episode where the ML’s ex discovers them together in the garage and the FL tries to flee. FL doesn’t say anything at all in this scene but you can feel her panic just looking at her face.

Mario was a pleasant surprise. It’s the first time I’ve watched him and he plays a very strong, devoted and yet vulnerable ML. At first, I thought he was too baby faced to play this character but he was very fierce when defending himself and going against other characters like the FL’s dad or even his evil ‘stepmom.’ The circumstances of his life put him at a disadvantage many times and yet he was no pushover. I love how he could speak out for himself, was single minded and not wishy washy about the FL and also that he was generous about helping people.

Another thing I really liked was that, unlike in previous dramas, the main misunderstanding between the leads was cleared up way before the last episode. Normally, the writers drag it out until the very last (or second to the last) episode, so the viewers only get to see good moments between the leads at the finale. Not so here. It was a very good decision to clear up the misunderstanding several episodes before the show ended and what’s more- I really liked how, even if the ML came back for revenge, it never went out of line (this is one of the few shows where he is actually justified and only acted out of self defense); also, it was clear that he still loved FL even before* the misunderstanding was cleared, which is another thing I liked.

There are only two flaws that bothered me. One is that both the FL and ML are too forgiving. The FL’s father’s actions were inexcusable; even if he supposedly turned good at the end, it was a little unbelievable. The FL’s friend (the second FL) did something very wrong which led to the leads separating. I could understand why she did it and liked her in general, but the way she looked down on the ML’s background was a bit hypocritical and snobbish, given that she also came from the same humble origins. It’s a good thing she redeemed herself later.

The character who bothered me the most was the ML’s friend, Khem. What he did to land the ML in jail was completely unforgivable. It frustrated me a lot to see him (and everyone else) brush this off at the end and worse, to see him angry at the FL’s father and act like he had no part in what happened to the ML.

There is also a very unpleasant reveal about one of the ML’s relationships at the end that was very uncomfortable and may turn off many viewers, but I saw the ML as a victim in there and not at fault for what happened.

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Most of the Thai dramas I watch are spicy melodramas. Every now and then, I find something I enjoy that makes an impression on me, such as Kluen Cheewit. I wouldn't list The Girl from Nowhere as one of my favorites, but this is definitely one of the lakorns I like because I feel that the over-the-top behavior of the characters actually works here. I don't think the stories are meant to be realistic but that they are supposed to show an exaggerated version of human depravity in extreme situations.

Something about the atmosphere in these stories, along with the main character, reminded me of a horror manga by Junji Ito. I thought Nanno was very charismatic and that the actress playing her (Chicha Amatayakul) was very entertaining. She reminded me a little bit of the Joker or Harley Quinn, only that her character mostly toys with those who are in the side of wrong. I don't think she's meant to be a good character either, but maybe a chaotic neutral.

I also like how the cast of supporting characters, from Claudia Chakrabandhu (Thank You Teacher) to Teeradon Supapunpinyo (Pregnant), performed well to the point that I didn't mind when Nanno was offscreen. Another thing that worked in this type of drama is that each episode had a different story and sometimes one story would take up two or three episodes, so they didn't have to be watched in order. The whole experience for me was like watching a horror anthology comic come to life and I don't even like horror.

There were certain plot points which dragged some of the stories down a notch. I liked Wonderwall for instance, but I could easily find a solution to the problem which didn't involve one of the characters wishing everything away. Some episodes in the second season were also boring and repetitive. Overall, the first season seemed better than the second...although there were some good episodes in the latter, like Minnie and the Four Bodies. I don't mind the introduction of Yuri as a rival for Nanno in the second season but I got kind of annoyed that it had to end in a cliff hanger!

Another thing I dislike is the series' old-fashioned attitude towards cheating in relationships. I felt that the writing would often blame the women involved but put the guy-in-between (the one who actually cheated) on a pedestal. There were some situations, like in the BFF episode- where a guy would send flowers to two girls at the same time and in the same room (his girlfriend and the girl he was cheating with), but the story seemed to blame the women involved without questioning his behavior.

Other than that, I think this is one of the better lakorns. I feel pleasantly surprised that Thailand decided to make something like this because I feel that Japan ought to be the one doing it, given all the content they have in their manga to base it on.

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This came highly recommended to me a few months back but I shied away from it after hearing that the first two episodes were pretty violent. I'm glad I changed my mind because while it (the violence) was difficult to watch at first, it wasn't quite on the level of Squid Game, which I was able to enjoy.

There is a rebirth aspect in this revenge drama that reminded me of Green Rose- an older classic, a re-interpretation of the Count of Monte Cristo and also one of my favorites. The melodrama here is turned up a few notches because it is a makjang but once I had my expectations set, I was able to enjoy everything and take all the melodrama with a grain of salt.

I think the cast was pretty strong here and that every actor/actress did a good job, even the ones with minor roles including the child actress.

I'm glad the main actress chose this role because she is mostly known for playing glamorous, leading lady types and this drama allowed her to try something different. I liked her controlled performance throughout because this restraint created an even more powerful effect during those scenes where she finally had to erupt and get emotional. I also like how she had help from several other, like-minded characters, namely the supporting female lead who was just as abused as she was and also the male lead who played her love interest. One of the tropes here is that they were all broken people who supported each other because they could see eye to eye and because the regular justice system couldn't help them like it should have. I'm also glad because it seemed (even for a melo), realistic for me that she couldn't do everything by herself even if she was clever about some things.

There is one part of the plot that I feel was handled poorly and this is how she got revenge on her former high school teacher. I felt that it was silly and that the guy could have just walked out of the room full of flowers if he was so allergic! Other than that, I liked the drama, even if it isn't something I'd rewatch.

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This one’s a classic and I feel that many of the tropes from shojo manga or even romantic k-drama (plain cinderella surrounded by a bunch of good looking guys, rich guy/poor girl, evil mother in law, etc.) were inspired from this. In other words, it’s got everything people either love or hate depending on their personal tolerance or liking for these old tropes.


The male lead is very controversial. He’s downright mean in the first few episodes and almost does something unforgivable in the fourth episode (something I wish they had removed because the story would have worked just as well without it, IMHO) but I could see what the writer was trying to do with him…he’s a big sweetheart and probably one of the most devoted and unwavering MLs by the 30th episode onwards; almost like an entirely different person but it takes awhile for him to get there and maybe for others (understandably) a little too late.

The relationship between the ML/FL only work out here if* the viewer likes the trope where one character transforms after going through a lot of changes. I was loving the ML/FL by the latter episodes but again, it took a long time to get to that point and there’s a lot of angst a viewer has to wade through, brought on by their social status differences and his meddling evil mother.

I’ve seen several versions of HYD/MG. It was a huge hit when it aired in my country; in fact, it started the asian drama wave in the 2000s. I think this might be the best version because of how closely it follows the manga. It does something better in that it manages to soften the characters even further and inject more sweet moments between the ML and FL, which I didn’t see much of in the HYD comic. I could actually tell that they liked* each other here, compared to other versions where they just bickered most of the time. It also handled the amnesia arc from the comic very effectively…I didn’t like that trope.

Also, casting is on point for all the characters here, especially the F4. I’ve always thought Lee Min Ho from BOF and Bright from the Thai F4 were too soft and pretty to be Domyouji/Dao Ming Si..but they would have been perfectly cast as the 2nd ML. IMHO, only the Japanese, Taiwanese and now the Chinese versions cast the ML right. So far, the only San Cai/Tsukushi I like are the ones played by Barbie Su and Mao Inoue. The one here is just alright. It’s a nice touch that they made her a chef.

The only thing I didn’t like about this version were the episodes that focused on a made up character named Zhou Caina, who was not part of the comic..and also the last episode which seemed rushed and out of the place.

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I really enjoyed watching this light and fluffy romantic gaming series. It was fast paced, didn’t drag and the leads had good chemistry. I’m not a gamer but I was able to feel the stakes for the characters every time they had a challenge, won a game or suffered a loss in their tournaments.

The ML/FL were adorable. I think this might have the funniest ML I’ve ever seen in awhile. He had this way of cracking a joke, insulting someone or being very sweet towards the FL with this deadpan expression which made the situation really funny. The FL was even more expressionless but it didn’t bother me; I think it’s because it made her seem calm and in control when she was gaming…and also because she had many funny scenes herself and her blank face made it more laughable. The other team members were also very likable and had good interactions with the leads. It’s great how there were episodes that focused on some of them and their back stories; it fleshed them out better.

There’s an OW here but what I like about this drama is that it doesn’t create annoying situations where the other party fakes something which causes unnecessary angst, separations and stupid decision making from the leads. ML basically tells her point blank that he isn’t into her and she respects it, which is how it should be. There’s also an OM at some point but it’s mostly played for laughs and all the characters are very respectful to each other.

One criticism I have is that the gaming is a bit confusing because the camera doesn’t zoom in enough and when it does, there’s no indication who is playing which character. They make use of characters from a real game called Onmyouji Arena, but the thing is that the characters here tend to look similar…it’s not like Street Fighter where the characters look distinctive. One remedy for this would have been showing a small picture of the real player when a character appears.

I think I might like this even more than LoveO2O but I liked that one as well, for different reasons.

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---Warning: SPOILERS---

I’ve watched a sageuk drama before but this is the first one I’ve seen that effortlessly combines comedy, fantasy and transmigration. The main thing I liked about Mr. Queen was how funny it was. Shin Hye Sun played the FL and she was really good in the role. She was able to act like two different characters, made every one of her scenes a delight to watch and basically carried the whole drama on her shoulders. The other characters were pretty entertaining, too. There were many funny side characters here (the ladies in waiting, the cook, the king’s friends, etc) and their interactions with each other and especially with the FL were adorable! Mr. Queen actually makes crying scenes pretty funny.

 I also enjoyed watching the scenes where the FL would cook something new or invent something for the kitchen. It reminded a bit of Dae Jang Gum.

I think I would’ve rated this higher if not for the romance and political intrigue.

The ML (King Cheoljong) and the FL (“Mr. Queen”) had some cute scenes together but it was clear from the start that it was Bong Hwan’s (the chef who transmigrated) personality the king fell in love with, not So Yong’s. Would the king have fallen in love with Bong Hwan if he was in his original body? We don’t know. Would the king have fallen in love with So Yong if Bong Hwan didn’t take over her body in the first place? Probably not. So why is it that, at the very end of the drama, he didn’t seem to notice the extreme change in personality when Bong Hwan left? They all acted like it was nothing.

I am not against the idea of Bong Hwan ending up with a modern day Cheoljong, or letting him stay in So Yong’s body but I wanted the writers to make his feelings and the changes he went through more understandable. Was he actually bi and in denial, only to have the experience make him finally accept who he was? The show should’ve indicated it before he body swapped. Was he actually in love with Cheoljong at the end or did he just care about him because of the baby and because he had to, given the circumstances he was forced into? It was not his choice to enter So Yong’s body, after all. In the beginning of the drama, he had a bit of a double standard where he hated the idea of So Yong in his body flirting with guys, but it was perfectly okay for him in her body to flirt with the court ladies. I got the impression that he changed in the end but I wasn’t sure how.

Also, why exactly did So Yong love the king? They had that moment by the well when they were kids but he was mean to her after that. Yes, he had good reasons but the point is, she didn’t know that…so why did she care so much for him before she entered the palace and became queen? Now, I don’t care what trope a story has, whether it’s love at first sight, slow burn or enemies to whatever…I just want it to be believable.

Cheoljong himself was supposedly love with Hwa Jin at first but when another woman with a ‘cooler personality’ came along, it was all over for her. Now, I don’t believe that every character should end up with who they start with, but I wish they didn’t play up his loving Hwa Jin so much to the point he’d sacrifice his life for her, because it makes him seem really flakey.

The political parts were also a let down. The retaking of the palace and throne at the end should have been on a bigger scale ala Nirvana in Fire. I was also disappointed when Cheoljeong just inexplicably left Mr. Queen alone and defenseless. And why did Byeong In (one of the second male leads) suddenly turn evil…only to turn good again? It would’ve made sense if he were an ass like Gaston but he wasn’t. Was he bipolar?

There were just too many why's for me, so I just enjoyed this for the comedy and the performances.

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--- Warning: SPOILERS---

There’s a genre in Thai lakorn called slap & kiss. Like the name suggests, it is highly problematic and full of slapping, screaming, fighting and all kinds of violent and toxic behavior. I think the reason why people watch it is because it’s like watching a car wreck. It’s not something you see everyday. The characters are so over the top that they make cartoon characters realistic. They can make the viewer angry and yes, in some cases, they can also make the viewer laugh. I do not recommend this genre unless one already likes ‘makjang’ to begin with. In fact, slap & kiss is like a crack genre that is even more extreme than makjang. Only watch this if you can’t take it seriously.

I do not usually watch slap kiss but I was actually introduced to watching asian dramas though it, when someone made recommendations in the romance novel board I used to visit.

When done well (ex: Kluen Cheewit) though, they remind me of the romance novels I used to read. I think Long Ngao Jan 2019 is one of the ‘better ones.' I don’t recommend the older version but this later version is able to do something which I rarely see in this genre.

It’s able to point out that all the characters are dysfunctional and that it is problematic.

This is one of those rare lakorns where I did not hate the antagonist. Khem was horrible but the plot did a good job of explaining why she turned out that way. From the very beginning when she was young, she was already brainwashed by her mother to believe that her older sister would take everything from her. Her upbringing lead her to become a resentful person. I felt that every time she did something bad, she was also hurting. When she finally turned into a total mess I felt sorry for her because she was both an antagonist and a victim.

The FL (the older sister) was the main victim of the drama. She was a doormat who was abused since childhood by her stepmother and stepsister and was used to always giving in. She had a father and grandparents who loved her but they couldn’t protect her enough. This is the type of weak FL that many would despise but I could’t help but admire her love for her sister. Also, the actress playing this role usually plays bitchy, antagonistic roles, so her being able to play this pitiful character was actually impressive for me.

The lead hero is what I call ‘a jerk with a heart of gold.’ Acts like an ass but can actually be nice if he weren’t so deluded about the FL. He straightens out later and I don’t know if it’s a little too late or too much; it depends on one’s personal level of tolerance. I think he’s written to be much nicer here than in the older version (psycho) who I can hardly watch. In here, all the characters in the family were so messed up that the ML just gets swallowed up by them, even if he was the one who started causing trouble in the first place.


I like how, instead of focusing on his revenge scheme, the story focuses on how the dysfunctional family caused mental issues and destroyed the relationship between the sisters. I don’t know if it showed an accurate representation- especially of the antagonist’s condition but at the very least, it points out that yes, this character is problematic and yes, this is what happens if things aren’t sorted out.

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WARNING: major spoilers

This is a good romantic drama but only if you don’t mind a bit of filler/fluff/slower episodes, which is the reason why it took me awhile to finish this. I know a lot of people like a slower pace which is fine, it’s just a matter of preference. I thought the chemistry between the leads was pretty good despite the repetitiveness of some scenes. They were pretty believable as a couple. The only thing is that once you see them get to the solution where they are finally able to leave North Korea…you might roll your eyes and wonder why they didn’t do this in the first place and why they had to go through much harder routes. Also, the main bad guy was ridiculous at times. The actor did fine, but there was a scene where he is shot several times at close range and still doesn’t die like he’s superhuman or something. When I thought about it, I felt that they should have made his commanding officer the main villain instead since he was just following his orders.

There’s a good bromance between the four soldiers under the ML and also some sismance between the elderly ajummas who befriend the FL. All heartwarming.

I also liked the second FL. I felt sorry for her at first…I normally do not* like this type of love triangle. Actually, I don’t care for love triangles in general but the worst are the ones with two females and a male (usually written by male authors but there are some* exceptions) mostly because I do not like how the female characters are written in these stories…but in here, given that the ML had an arranged marriage with her and this is North Korea we are talking about, I felt that what happened after made sense.

Some might not like the rosy depiction of North Korea, which I understand. I’ve had some conversations with some South Koreans about this, and some of them have expressed wanting to have a peaceful relationship with NK…not sure if this is the reason for how NK is depicted here. But if you want to see a realistic depiction of NK, this is not it.

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WARNING: major spoilers below

I’m really glad I watched this; it’s definitely one of the better dramas and I can see why people like it so much. It’s not for everyone though, because it’s incredibly conversation heavy - about 70 to 80 percent of what takes place/exposition are conversations between the characters. The rest are action scenes and in one case, a military fight. This is fine with me because I am also a fan of mystery dramas and those are conversation heavy too, but this might not be for everyone.

What I liked:

I think the actor playing the main lead, as well as the entire cast did a great job in portraying their characters. I like the overall story arc as well as the smaller cases in between where they had to get rid of two princes and some corrupt officials one by one before getting to the emperor. I normally don’t like sad endings but this one fit and was satisfactory.

male centricity: This is one of the things that worried me at first. I thought this would be one of those male centric dramas that had mostly male MLs with only a handful of token strong female leads thrown in every now and then, ala Lord of the Rings. Thankfully it wasn’t like that. While there were more male characters, there were also plenty of diverse and strong female characters and they had a lot* of screen time, significantly influenced the plot and in some cases, were just as smart as the main lead.

character relationships: All the characters working with the lead were great and they seemed like one big family (regardless of whether they were related or not) who supported him. The strongest relationships in this drama were the filial ones. The relationship between Mei Chang Su and Fei Liu was like that of a father and son. He also seemed like a father figure to two of his younger friends JinRui and Yujin, who were much younger than him. It also has a strong focus on mother and son relationships such as the ones between the palace consorts and the crown princes- I really liked the relationship between Prince Jingyan and his mother Consort Jing. There is also a bit of romance although it is subtle. Mei Chang Su’s relationship with Nihuang reminded me a lot of Li Mu Bai’s relationship with Yu Shu Lien (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), except that they had far more screen time together. It also explores toxic filial relationships such as the relationship between the emperor and his sons.

What I felt undecided about:

Prince Jing. I think the actor did a great job but his role but could be very frustrating at times. He doesn’t have that many scenes until episode thirty something, and there is an entire arc where the ML gets into trouble because of him because he reacts in a way that causes a lot of trouble; this is in spite of everyone telling him otherwise. There were times when all the characters seemed smarter than him, from his foot soldier to even his mother. He is also the last to realize the main lead’s true identity in spite of supposedly being best friends with him and yet so many people, from the war general to the love interest and even (yes) his mother, figures this out earlier on. The good thing is that he redeems himself at the very end* of the drama, so I was glad to see him get a happy ending.

What I didn’t like:

There are some boring episodes…not many, but a few. I personally found the first episode hard to watch and this is the reason it took me awhile to get to this.

There were some events that were incredibly hyped but never shown. There’s one arc where they hype this debate among scholars and the appearance of a master scholar who was so wise he could end the debate…but they never show this debate. You see the master scholar arriving with melodramatic bg music…and then it cuts to after the event where they say he won and all is well now.

There’s also a major battle where they play up Prince Jing’s role as a Gandalf type figure who goes off to get some reinforcements. You don’t see him do anything at all while the rest of the characters are fighting. You get this scene were he is about to challenge his brother to a duel and then it cuts off again. The only good thing about this is that it is princess Nihuang who gets to defeat the enemy general.

Poison of the bitter flame: It’s not the illness I disliked but there is a character who reveals symptoms I found completely unbelievable…if this was a fantasy or xianxia drama it would be acceptable, but it doesn’t work here, IMHO.

I also don’t like ‘the ending’ of one of the female characters; it was too ambiguous and I feel that we deserved to know what happened to her.

Is this drama like Game of Thrones? Overall no, but I can see some similarities in the wide range of diverse characters, scheming/one-upmanship ( the main lead is very good at this) and a kind of fight for the throne, in a way. But NIF is much smaller in scope. It focuses on only one kingdom, getting rid of corruption (it doesn’t really have morally gray characters/views like GOT) and has a slight ‘Count of Monte Cristo’ theme. Also, it doesn’t have magical elements in it. It’s a pretty good drama but it’s its own thing.

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I'm not a gamer but I really enjoyed this drama. It was pretty unique in how it showed the characters in both the gaming world and the real world- I've never seen anything like this before. The main leads had chemistry, there was bromance (among the male lead and his buddies), sismance (among the female lead and her buddies) and most of the characters (even the antagonists) were either likeable or managed to redeem themselves in the end. The relationship between the main couple here was cute and believable. One criticism I have is that the main male lead was too robotic. I liked his character and his relationship with the FL a lot but...he just didn't seem human. I don't think it has to do with how 'perfect' he was. I've seen a lot of dramas (Korean dramas, Chinese dramas, Japanese dramas etc) with perfect leading characters and this never bothered me if the story was well written. But in here, ML didn't seem to have any emotions except for being smiling, confident or blank faced.

The FL had moments were she felt bad (ex: when her friend grew angry with her etc) and moments where she appeared to be a normal human girl (ex: giggling with her friends, getting upset, feeling unhappy, etc)...but I never witnessed the ML here go through any human emotions like that. It was pretty weird...like watching a mannequin walk and talk. There are a LOT of other MLs (ex: Ye Hua from Eternal Love, etc) that fall into the 'perfect male' category but for some reason, even Yehua who happens to be an actual god seemed somehow more human than Xiao Nai. I think they should have given him scenes were he shows just a little bit of vulnerability. Another thing that bothered me was how all the employees in his company were male, save for the FL. I wouldn't have minded if they had thrown in a few female programmers. It would have made it less unrealistic.

Still, it was a pretty good drama. There were serious moments but nothing too angsty and its overall lightheartedness made it a fun, relaxing watch.

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It's a good introductory to Sageuk. It's like a pretty picture book come to life. Gorgeous costumes, charming characters and a fairy tale like love story. In as much as I enjoyed this, I couldn't give it the rating (9.0 and above) that I wanted to. I gave it an 8.5 purely because I enjoyed it so much but in reality, this is probably at 8 at best. This type of historical isn't for everyone and one's enjoyment will really depend on his/her expectations. To put it bluntly, if you don't mind watching a traditional love story (think of it like reading a Grimm fairy tale, not one of the revised fairy tales you see on tv) then you probably won't mind how male centric this is. The female characters are very likeable but you won't see any badass female leads here, save for the FL's bodyguard who doesn't have much scenes. Personally, I am the type of viewer who can also enjoy a traditional female lead as well as a tough one...so, while this was a source of disappointment for me it was not a deal breaker.

The reasons why I couldn't give this a higher score were:

The FL lead's casting: I don't want to criticize the actress but I think she was miscast. When I compared the child actress to the adult one, it really seemed as if they were two different people and not in a good way. This drama has 2 sets of characters. The child actors who take up the first 5 episodes, then the adult cast...and the FL's actress is the only one who seems nothing like the child actress :/ The actress playing the princess Minhwa, the FL antagonist Bo Kyung and even the FL's sidekicks (heck, even all the male leads!)...while they didn't exactly resemble the outward appearance of their child counterparts...they were still able to appear as the same person. Not so for the FL. And, I hate to say it, but she wasn't as good an actress as the rest. I compared all crying/high tension/emoting scenes of all the characters and only the FL's scenes appeared very forced and unnatural :(

The magical premise/the Shaman: I found the Shaman's character extremely annoying. It really seemed as if- in trying to 'prevent anything bad from happening to the FL', she basically killed her and robbed her of her life.
I get that there is a magical superstition involved here but the show didn't execute this very well so her reasons weren't convincing for me. She had one good Shamanic fight with another shaman at the end of the show and this is the only scene where I enjoyed her character. For the rest of her scenes I found myself rolling my eyes at her "I won't let anything bad happen to you so I will kill you and deprive you of your family" arguments. Everytime one of the other characters questioned her logic, she would resort to riddles and start blabbing about the moon and the sun! >< The sad thing is that she could have been a really cool character if they only executed the magic/superstitious plot points better. The shamanic element was also one of the aspects that made this Sageuk different from, say, Princess Man or Empress Ki. Too bad the most powerful Shaman was a moron.

I also wish the side characters (both male and female) were better developed and had different endings . Then again, it might not be fair of me to expect this, given that this drama only had 20 episodes and other plot points to deal with. Aside from the FL's Cinderellesque story arc, there was also the corruption in the palace arc, Prince Yangmyeung's existential musings., the rivalry between the brothers, etc. I feel that Chinese dramas like Eternal Love do a better job of developing side characters because they have more episodes to work with, not to mention a bigger character scope. But I gave this a high rating for a couple of reasons:

The main couple: I really enjoyed the main pairing, despite wishing a different actress was cast. They had really cute moments and good chemistry. It was mostly because of the ML's performance and it's a pity a better actress was not used.

The ML: Kim So Hyun was really* good here. I was surprised because he didn't make any impression on me when I saw him in You Who Came from the Stars (that drama was more female centric, and it was all about the fabulous Jun Jihyun); I guess in here it was the opposite. METS was mostly ML centered and KSH pretty much carried the show on his back. He was perfect in the role of a young king who could be so many things- authoritative, angry, bitter, heartbroken... and at the same time charming, boyish and devoted. Very different from his flat character in YWCFTS!

His scenes with the FL were some of the best OTP moments I've seen in romantic kdrama. Aside from that, I really loved the scenes where he was being sarcastic, even when smiling. I think his verbal sparring with his corrupt court officials were some of my favorites. His character appears passive first but develops better in the latter part of the drama. It might appear slow to some, but the 'adult years' actually open around only 3 years into his reign when he is still learning the ropes and how badly the court was run before. He turns out to a be a more effective, capable ruler than his father, who let himself be lead around the nose by others. This is a pretty intelligent ML here.

The second ML: Jung Il Woo as YangMyeung. He was pretty good as well in playing a carefree outsider. He managed to be both likable and yet very distinct from his royal brother. While I don't care for love triangles, his infatuation with the FL wasn't annoying whatsoever. It's mostly because the writer treated both MLs with respect. Certainly much better compared to the annoying catfights you see in Chinese drama where the women are unbelievably catty towards each other; unfortunately, even when it comes to love triangles, male characters get better treatment :(

The side characters: Despite the fact that the side characters didn't have as much scenes, their performances were all good, considering what they were given and the short time frame where so many characters had to be juggled.

So yeah, overall, there's a lot to enjoy in this, if one watches it with these things in mind. It's not as grand an epic, nor as deep as something like Eternal Love but I think this is one of the better historical kdramas.

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*heavy spoilers below!

I really enjoyed this drama. Why did it take me so long to watch this?!! :) It has exactly what I like where half the plot is romance focused, and the other half is focused on the ‘career’ aspect of the leads. It was similar to I Hear Your Voice (made by the same scriptwriter, bless her) where half the story focused on the legal court cases which I found a lot of fun. It not only gave me a good insight into the characters but also helped develop them.

Same thing happened here in Pinocchio. It had similar beats to IHYV but it was also different as it focused on the challenges of journalism...I kind of got some Healer vibes from it but this was a good thing for me. I think Lee Jong Suk does a pretty good job playing this kind of tortured ML. He’s not the most versatile actor as he tends to go for similar roles but what he does, he does well, IMHO. I felt a lot for his character. There was a point where I was angry with him. The issues he had in his past- while I understood why he reacted in certain ways, they made him take it out on the FL which got me pretty angry. However, the story actually calls out his behavior and makes him realize his mistakes, his prejudices and how his suffering made him act exactly like the people he hated.

The FL was pretty awesome...I actually love* Park Shin Hye in this role! She was an adorable heroine who was an interesting mix of both strong and weak. She even made hiccuping look cool. The only issue I had was that her character did not have as much scenes or development as the ML. Whatever scenes she does have, however, are pretty satisfying and she does* grow as a character apart from the ML. For the typical, cheerful and innocent FL one usually sees in dramas, I felt there was something unique about ‘Choi In-Ha.’ She was a breath of fresh air. She was basically living out the ‘break the cutie’ trope (the ML’s arc was more revenge focused) but she managed to do it without being broken and coming out stronger and wiser at the end. While I wishLee Jong Suk would play a different kind of role, I feel the opposite and wish Shin Hye would play more roles like this.

The couple’s chemistry was also pretty good. I would say it was better than in IHYV because they were of a similar age. Really hope these two get paired up again.

The rest of the supporting cast did a pretty good job as well. Jin Kyung’s star reporter Song Cha Ok is another example of a character you love to hate in the beginning..but slowly grow to love much later. The character deconstruction here is pretty well done and she was one of my favorite characters at the end. Loved her scenes with the FL.

One other issue I had though, is that they portrayed the ML’s brother as too much of a hero. I get that he suffered, but the guy killed 3 people. These people, while cowardly and selfish for framing the ML’s father- did not actually kill the father. If the ML’s brother had kidnapped them and tried to force a confession from them to exonerate their father- I would actually understand this action a bit more even if I wouldn’t excuse the kidnapping. But no...the ML’s brother outright kills all three. True, he went to jail for it but it doesn’t make me comfortable how the story continues to frame him as a hero by showing multiple heartwarming scenes of him and the ML bonding as brothers after this. These three victims did NOT kill their father. They deserve to be put to prison for framing him, maybe even smacked around...but they didn’t deserve to die. :/

Overall, Pinocchio is one of the best kdramas I have seen in awhile and it will probably take some time to find something that I can enjoy just as much. It’s a pretty good mix of everything...a romance that (while not as thrilling as Healer’s or Eternal Love’s) is just as amazing in it’s own way, a heartwarming family drama and a career based story involving journalism. A really nice package.

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