Surprisingly Good Historical Mini Drama

I am very glad I came across this and decided to give it a try. I didn't have any expectations. After reading the description and summary and some of the discussion postings on mydramalist, the storyline intrigued me enough to give it a go. This is NOT a fluffy youth drama and it seems like there was a decent budget and thought spent on its production for a short web series. Its not a high budget drama like some of the hyped up full fledged CDramas; for a short web series, it was decent and above par compared to its peers. While it is a VERY different drama from Goodbye My Princess, it's similar in the sense its a web series with a unique take and a decent production feel to it that makes it stand out.

The costumes and settings are beautiful and do not look cheap. It is not a fluffy youth drama but it has comedic elements and liked how there really aren't any draggy parts since each episode is pretty compact. I do wish it was made into a full featured drama as there are plenty other CDramas that are bad but given so much more production time than this. I wasn't familiar with any of the actors and actresses which is a bonus since sometimes it gets tiring seeing the same popular actors and actresses over and over again. Glad there are others who are given a chance to provide a refreshing take on characters. I thought the actors and actresses did a pretty good job and they were engaging and believable in their roles. I was skeptical with how they would pull off the love story of the ML and FL characters in the midst of mystery and political intrigue and with each episode being pretty short, they pulled it off.

As a warning, the english subs are limited and aren't great; it was good enough series that I overlooked it and replayed some parts again to get a better understanding.

Whoever penned the web series, original story and the director should be given more projects in the future. Good Job. Its so refreshing to find this after a few disappointing CDramas

Finally finished this, the ending didn't quite hit the mark but overall it is still a very good short web series.

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Fighting for Stupidity

When I read the synopsis I was excited with the premise of a strong female character who excels in war strategies and becomes a female general. The FL is intelligent, devious at times and cross dresses as a man, there's a lot of male brotherhood camaraderie she develops with other male characters which is nice because sometimes its not all just about romantic love. While she is talented, the parts where she goes from commoner to elite fighting soldier with top notch archery and horsemanship skills was unrealistic.

The love story really falls flat in my opinion. The ML is good looking but he's a bumbling idiot supposed playboy. His character is really flat and not bright. Its hard to believe he can last as a general for even a minute. I can't really feel drawn to his character. The love story between them doesn't have any emotional pull, its a bit robotic and forced in the acting. Maybe its me but it might be more interesting to see two robots fall in love than the FL and ML.

The SML and the FL seems to have more chemistry as they are on opposing sides and the SML is smart and bold. I watched it because I wanted to see how their story unfolds even though its pretty clear the FL will not end up with the SML. They should have really developed their story more because it was more compelling and a bit more complex than the FL's love story arc with the ML.

Overall it could have been executed better, the last dozen or so episodes was a bit of fast forwarding. I completed it because I was curious how it works out between the FL and SML and how she breaks through to become a general.

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The Weak Hero who packs a nasty punch

Would like to give a big thank you to all the previous reviewers and reviews; because of those reviews, this went up in my watch list. After watching a few dramas and movies such as Better Days that deftly if not heartbreakingly tell the story of bullying, this one is up there in its unique quality albeit with a different angle focused on shifting alliances and developing friendships of several teens. There is less emphasis on the male/female romantic relationship dynamic. This drama doesn't just focus on the bullying at school, its gives a glimpse of how its weaved into the fabric of society at all levels whether its parents bullying their kids or in low level criminal gangs.

It was an interesting casting choice with the ML, he has a pretty boy face and even though he's supposed to be 5'8, the other male actors seem to tower over him which adds to the concept of a weak hero. I've seen the ML in Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency which is a real light hearted rom-com and he plays an entirely different role in this. Its dark and at times it gets intense. His acting in this role is good, he captures the nuances of someone who has been suffering from parental neglect and being an outsider in his school. He seems depressed or numb to it all but is still motivated to do well academically which makes him a target with the bullies. His personality of not wavering when the bullies challenge him keeps him in the crosshairs. The situation ends up spiraling out of control. All the actors and actresses did a really job breathing life in their roles. There are some areas I felt was pretty good in adding realism to the motivation in the character's actions. When Oh Beom Seok asks Ahn Soo Ho to help Yeon Shi Eun when he's dragged off by thugs for a beating, Ahn Soo Ho declines since he's not that close with Yeon Shi Eun. Ahn Soo Ho isn't going to go out of his way to help someone unless there's some benefit that he gets out of it. Oh Beom Seok is meek and conflicted with the bullying he has endured at school and at the hands of his father. He comes from privilege but even with it, it doesn't allow him to escape from bullying in the school.

There's a fair amount of bare knuckle and knife fights, they look realistic and were choregraphed pretty well. The ML isn't a skilled fighter but he does have quick wit and a fair amount of courageous insanity that he brings to a fight. Since he is underestimated, he catches his opponents with an element of surprise and he has a lack of hesitation in making the first move once he's cornered. The ML does get beaten up a fair amount so it's not like he's some superhero dude who with a flick of his finger knocks all the thugs out. Kudos to the story tellers for adding that realism but you do question the ML's sanity in some situations where the odds were really stacked against him.

The drama was pretty well written, good acting, and the pacing was good - I didn't feel bored at any point, it is a rollercoaster of emotions. Appreciate the quality storytelling angle on bullying and the social effects from it.

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Glorious Revenge served Cold

This caught my attention when I found out the screen writer of Mr. Sunshine was also the writer for this Drama. After seeing a few other dramas with themes of bullying and revenge, it can be an emotionally turbulent ride for the viewer due to the intensity of those topics. For those with power and/or wealth who think they can get away with it without any consequences, this show tries to turn the tables with the poor and powerless drawing on their inner strength and hatred to execute their war path towards retribution.

The FL comes from a dysfunctional family with a mother who doesn't give a crap about her and sells her out in the end. She carries scars physically and emotionally from the intense sociopathic bullying she deals with from a group of emotionally stunted kids with the kingpin being a pretty rich girl who knows she will remain untouchable no matter how far she goes with the bullying. The FL carefully over the years plots out her revenge and dedicates her life to it while the bully kingpin rich girl continues to thrive in her superficial life with her weathercaster job and bagging a rich guy as her husband.

This is a dark adult drama (Netflix style), as a warning there are some adult scenes (no full on nudity). Its quite bleak at times, the FL as a teen has no where to turn with almost everyone turning their back on her. The FL suffers from bouts of PTSD and lasting psychological damage in adulthood. The actresses and actors do an amazing job playing their parts. The FL is a popular actress, this is my first time seeing her in a KDrama; she does a really good job with her role as a smart somber scarred individual who simmers in her hatred against her bullies. The ML is a talented underrated actor, so far he carries all his parts pretty well in the dramas I've seen.

It's a very good psychological revenge drama with good pacing, looking forward to S2.

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Initially a Winner but loses some steam

I have had this on my watchlist for a while and have been eagerly anticipating this. I binged all the episodes released so far. The history of eunuchs in the Chinese Imperial Dynasties is an intriguing if not sad part of Chinese history, there were some who were puppet masters behind the scenes. I was excited to find out the ML plays a morally grey eunuch (real or not) who has been ruthless in his struggle for power while he plots his revenge. Dylan Wang is completely perfect for this part, his acting, mannerisms, and his subtle expressions engages the viewers as a scheming eunuch. I wasn't a fanboy of Dylan Wang in Meteor Garden but he has grown so much in the roles he has picked so far. His character has a strong presence and he seems to be well matched with the Empress Rong An as a foe. The actress who plays the Empress also played the stern mother in Love Like the Galaxy and she is a terrific actress, she is well suited as a scheming power hungry Empress. The focus of the initial episodes are a set up of palace intrigue and dirty schemes that the ML has to engage in order to survive and to grow his power. The story tellers haven't made the palace politics so cumbersome and complicated that it makes it hard to follow, they have done a pretty good job in the plotting and keeping it clean so viewers don't get lost.

Unchained/Forbidden Love starts off as a darker and more serious drama compared to LBFAD; they do try to add some comedic/lighter parts in the scenes with the FL when the story progresses further. The FL seems to have more screen time in the middle part of the series and pretty much all the screen time with her is the light comedic side of the series. Those have been okay. One scene that stood out between the ML and FL developing relationship is when she used the analogy of the ML as a day lily plant, on the surface the plant's roots are superficially poisonous which it has to be to survive a threatening environment but when you look closer at it, it can be edible and has a unique sweetness to it.

This is a high budget drama so the cinematography, costumes, and production values show that level of quality.

Compelling forbidden love story or not; I am here for the story of the scheming eunuch with DW and Imperial palace power politics.

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Saw it based on all the Hype with a 宝宝 FL

After a few years since its been out, I finally got around to seeing it early this year. GF saw it around the time it came out and has been asking me to watch it with her since then. She didn't mind watching it all over again. *All 63 episodes* Amazing, applaud her for the dedication.

What is the verdict? Uh... it's ok. I'm not really a Xianxia fan.

What's the short of it?

Xianxia Genre. Grape fairy who can't fall in love and wants to level up on magical powers quickly, Phoenix Immortal loves her first, Grape fairy or Frosty Flower later on can love him back but Phoenix Immortal needs to come around to loving her again. Some comedy in the first half. Second half is Romeo and Juliet angst, drama, major misunderstandings, rinse and repeat.

Why would one want to watch this?

* All 63 freaking episodes is devoted to the love, angst, and drama. I will say there were parts of the storyline which were engaging. The ML does a pretty good job with his acting, he has the ingredients of:

- Pompousness and Pride
- Inexperience and naiveness with love (isn't he supposed to be an Immortal that has lived thousands of years? You would think he would have honed his love skills)
- Courage and Willingness to go against authority
- Some initial coldness towards the FL
- Being a Powerful Immortal
- His face kind of looks like a Bird

With all those ingredients combined, viola you have the recipe for the Ultimate Romantic Bird Immortal ML. The way he shows his emotions on his face while he is gradually falling in love with her and the passion he has for her was believable even if it got cringey.
* The storyline where the ML and FL end up in the mortal realm was the best in my opinion. The love that unfolds between them is told pretty well and you are drawn in as a viewer to the love story.
* Cute FL, yes she is cute like a bunny
* OST is good
* Love triangle and power struggle, some hate it and some love it. It's meh.

Why would one not want to watch this?

* The FL acted really childish 宝宝 and kinda stupid in the first half of the drama. I didn't really like the personality. She was completely unbelievable as a male attendant for the Phoenix Immortal. The scenes where her hair gets unpinned, it falls down, and she is finally seen as a girl who is extremely pretty were cheesy. They might be immortal but they lack a fair amount of brains.
* Cheesy Xianxia settings, costumes, and roles.
* Leave your brain in between the gap of the door and door frame before entering, let the door slam firmly shut and squish it to pieces.
* Love triangle. See the bullet in the above section.
* Didn't like the love story of the Demon Princess and her SML lover.
* It dragged on for far too long. The last 6 or 7 episodes really sucked in my opinion and wasn't necessary. Fast forward time.

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At 10:06 the cute roommate shows up

Saw this pop up as a new series and was not familiar with the leads or the story. I thought I would give it a try based on the comments.

The gist of it so far is the ML and the FL live in the same apartment during different time periods. At 10:06 there's some strange time and space overlap where the ML and FL become roommates until approximately 10:52 , they are four months apart in time with the ML in 2022 and FL in 2021. There's also the backdrop of the mystery with the case the ML is involved in as a lawyer that weaves itself into the storyline.

Usually it takes a couple of episodes to sort of work its way through to get me engaged in the story, the first episode did a good job of captivating me despite the preposterous nature of the story. Anything with mystical time travel meld mish mash or whatever it is I usually just shove my brain somewhere else while I watch it and this is no exception. They do try to explain it somewhat but whatever.

The pacing is done pretty well, so far there aren't any moments where I sigh in exasperation or start snoring. There is a decent production quality to it; it's not another cheap cookie cutter budget drama that is churned out en masse.

The acting is good, the ML seems to shine, he seems like he's meant for the part. Its refreshing since there's plenty of big name ML actors who are wooden and need to tweak their abilities in this area. The moments when the ML first encounters the FL when the space time meld occurs is funny and his reactions are pretty realistic for someone who is completely baffled and frightened by the sheer incomprehensible nature of the situation. Their reactions evolve from being frightened to subsequent arguments and fights to partners who work together trying to alter the direction of the tragedy of their best friends between the present and future. The FL is cute, she looks like she barely wears any makeup and its just so nice to see someone who just looks normal as a FL.

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Light Hearted and Funny Fantasy

There are a lot of reviews for this, this review will be another drop in the ocean. Its a light youth fantasy CDrama for Xianxia diehards.

Is it mind blowing? No.
Does it have many plot holes? Yes, its Xianxia for god's sake.
Is it entertaining? Yes.

The characters for the most part are entertaining and the acting for some of the actors have improved. Dylan Wang from Meteor Garden and that other dude who was the ML in Maiden Holmes have improved from their wooden performances. Both of those shows had these actors as the ML, I couldn't finish those shows. Esther Yu's fairy character is cute but was super annoying in the beginning. BF repellant annoying, nails on the chalkboard annoying.

The enjoyable parts:

The fairy and the devil have a body swap, it was entertaining to see the performance of the gender reversal. The fairy goes from the clueless naïve fairy to the cold hearted demon and vice versa. It was good they didn't drag it out through the whole show but it was entertaining for the first few episodes. The kissing for the soul swap wasn't necessary, too gratuitous, and was sort of stupid, would have been better if that was cut out.

The mortal realm was probably the most enjoyable part of the series; the storyline is really different from Ashes of Love but for both shows; the best parts were the time they spend in the mortal realm. It was hilarious with the hijinks due to the jealously, how clueless the SML was since he had no prior recollection of his immortal past, and how things just went completely wrong at each turn.

The gradual love which blossoms between the fairy and the devil. The chemistry between the leads is pretty good. Funny banter and face palm moments. They did a pretty good job with that, none of that instalove stupidity. There were some jokes cracked on the fairy's plain appearance and how it was no match for the Demon Lord. It seems to me the Demon King's looks are pretty plain too.

If one is looking to procrastinate from studying or whatever it is, this is a good enough show for that distraction.

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Watchable with Many Twists and Turns

If you are looking for a show to pass the time and keep you occupied without expecting a tight or somewhat believable plot, this is a show that fits the bill. The plot is crazy over the top and has a little bit of supernatural aspects to it. The main actresses and actors are talented so the acting is done well despite the storyline being so-so. There are several parts which keeps you guessing, its not entirely clear where some of the characters stand with the FLs and whether they can be trusted.

I came into this not expecting a love story or romance and so far that is the case. Nothing sweet or sappy is doled out for the viewer. It does have the standard good poor versus the bad rich theme etched into this. Its about the relationships of sisters and friends, absentee neglectful parents, socioeconomic discrepancies, and how far one is willing to go to break from the chains of poverty to become rich.

While the plot has its many holes, some of the scenes were well acted and writing for the dialog were well written, some examples of scenes which stood out:
- The confrontation of the reporter sister with her reporter nemesis on the sides of truth
- The Villain Heiress confronts the sister in prison and remarks you only thought of the gains from the 70 billion won but never thought of the pain from it

It's engaging enough for me to finish this and rooting for the FLs.

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This Drama is Fire

Loved this, at first I wasn't quite sure if this was the drama for me when I watched the first episode. It really picked up after the second episode when the storyline turns to the rebirth. While rich vs poor and rebirth themes aren't new or ground breaking, this drama takes these themes and runs with it. It excels in the plotting, acting, character analysis, and storyline development. It's also deeply satisfying to see a down and out underdog who was murdered come back as the grandson of a chaebol family. He plots his way to one up his rebirth family with his intelligence and knowledge of the future. Schemes abound, everyone is vying for the grandfather's favor and the keys to the throne. The dirty inner workings of chaebol families is exposed, the plays for dynastic wealth and power play out like Joseon royal family succession politics. It's appalling, vicious, juicy, and scandalous all at once. I like how the drama develops the relationship between the ML grandson and the grandfather, the grandfather initially views the grandson with curiosity, then suspicion but starts to recognize his talent and his abilities which by far outpaces his other potential heirs. It becomes a chess match between the grandson and grandfather, the suspense is not knowing who will checkmate who.

A round of applause for the actors and actresses of this drama and how engaging they were in their roles, the child actor who plays the grandson with the soul of murdered ML did a wonderful job. It was my first time watching the ML in a drama, he's super popular and he lives up to his acting reputation in this drama.

A very good watch.

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A Woman who Hates Men with A Man who Hates Women

It's a light romantic comedy with a goofy oddball FL lawyer who is a talented vigilante street fighter and a ML who is a famous romance KDrama celebrity actor repulsed by women. At ten episodes, the storytellers kept it long enough to get your fill of RomCom with the build up of the romance but short enough you don't get bored with filler junk. The story isn't complicated and is fairly simple; its main focus is on the antics of the FL, the romance, celebrity culture, and the friendships. It's not groundbreaking but it has a FL who doesn't fit neatly into the conservative Asian female norms. The FL's character is structured in a way that takes a sly swipe at S. Korean gender politics. There's also quite a bit of bromance between the ML and his SML manager with some staged playful situations between the two. The SML manager and the ex-girlfriend of the ML were both in Money Heist.

The FL and ML start off as enemies, she becomes one of his lawyers and they start collaborating in a contractual relationship and of course they have to fall in love. The build up of relationship was done well highlights are the scenes with her "training" him on how to fight for his new role. The FL breaks conventional conservative Asian feminine stereotypes. While she conforms to the East Asian expectations of beauty (she's pale, pretty, and skinny), she doesn't with her actions, thoughts, and behavior. Rather than being symbol of innocent female purity, she takes her revenge on cheating scoundrels by hooking up with some of them and dumping them whether it be one night stands or where she cheats on them while they are in a relationship. She has a mistrust of men and she dumps every man she's been with. She is also a vigilante street fighter who intervenes to help victims by beating the crap out of the perpetrator. The ML is a popular romance KDrama actor who is nothing like the roles he plays. He doesn't like women, has some anger issues with them, and has to take meds in order to quell his repulsion to get through his romantic scenes with kissing the leading ladies.

It's a fun drama to binge watch when you have some down time and want something that isn't serious or too thought provoking.

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Underrated Exceptional Drama

I would like to thank the reviewers who provided reviews that made me interested in this drama. I would have overlooked this at first glance but thankfully I did not thanks to the reviewers of this drama. I don't even know how to categorize this or feel like I can do it justice with this review; it is unique and stands on its own. It is unlike anything I have seen so far and it is beautifully written, acted, and unfolded slowly like a butterfly spreading its wings for the first time.

Is it an easy subject matter? NO. This touches on controversy that may make some flinch and perhaps contributed to some of the lower ratings. I think the writers and producers tried to tread carefully in some respects with the relationship between the ML and FL and allowed it to slowly develop later on when the ML is older. This is not a superficial love story or a light romance, the gist of it is about two people who find each other because of their passion for mathematics and support each other despite the odds.

I love how mathematics was weaved into this story and showed the passion and love they both had for it that transcends ego, pride, and competition. It is about the purity and exhilaration in participating in the process versus just reaching for the end game. In some ways it is a parallel to their story, the complexity of their situation and their relationship.

Beautifully flawed but elegantly told.

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The Interest of Misunderstandings

Looks like it's about a huge hot steaming pile of misunderstandings between the love interests. I've only seen the ML in Mr. Sunshine and Narco Saints. He really shone in his role in Mr. Sunshine, my GF thought it is worth a try with this series because of that. At this point, I'm not sure what to make of this. It is slow for sure. By the first four episodes, the story should sink their claws into the viewers to keep them engaged. It kind of meanders and you don't really feel much between the ML and FL. Are we supposed to root for them? It goes straight to the ML having a crush on the FL, he timidly tries to go after her; some misunderstandings take place which shuts the whole thing down. Since their love story is supposed to be the main arc of this romance drama, it would be better if episodes were dedicated to the build up and process of him falling in love with her instead of through a flashback of how she was helpful to him when he started at the bank.

The scene where she trips and falls into the SML arms accidentally, it felt like a good long while before she disengages herself from him. It was used as a plot device to add to the whole hot pile of misunderstandings. It could have been more realistic since people who aren't close to each other don't linger like that and it was not clear if she was attracted to the SML for her to pause like that. The trope of tripping and falling into the man's arms is so overused in the KDramas and CDramas. At least he didn't catch her by the waist and swung her around in slow motion while the love ballads are played in the background and the confetti falls.

The actors and actresses acted well in their parts and have good visuals but so far the story is missing some key ingredients.

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Plenty of Action, Gunfights, and Psychological Warfare

I watched the original Spanish version of this on Netflix and my opinion is they did a pretty good job on the remake of this. It can be pretty difficult to do a remake of a successful series but they pulled it off pretty well. Acting was well done and liked all the characters even the not so bright ones.

I already liked the storyline as it was so I would give it high marks as a heist thriller with psychological gamesmanship being a big part of the story. It's a cat and mouse game where you don't know at each point who will come out victorious before the next round starts. It keeps one guessing as there are twists and turns that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Is the plot and storyline a bit excessive and unbelievable? Yes and it has that robin hood like vibe to it too. I didn't care for the love stories between some of the characters, writers probably wanted to add a little bit of heart to a somewhat gritty drama. While Berlin is one of the favorite characters in both versions and both actors play the role beautifully; I was kind of meh on Berlin's character arc in the later part of the show.

The pacing was good, at six episodes they didn't draw it out and kept it compact without wasting time on filler nonsense. Overall a good edge of your seat heist thriller. Ready for S2!!!

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Not an Easy Watch but Executed Incredibly Well

This was a a brutal watch. They pull no punches on this one and expect to get body slammed in the last few episodes. It wasn't easy to sit through, it exposes issues that makes you flinch and squirm. Bullying, incompetence at all levels of leadership, feeling trapped, mental health issues that aren't addressed nor does anyone care to address it, violence, hierarchy, and the dark side of human behavior. There are some light hearted moments but plenty of heavy ones that dominate. The acting was incredible. The SML did a phenomenal job as a partner to the ML and it was truly worth watching every minute with him on the screen. While he probably isn't considered mainstream S. Korean actor good looking, he should get more main parts because of how well he executes his craft.

My favorite episode is the boxing fight scene, supposedly it was done by the actors with no stunt doubles and they had to learn how to box good enough to convince the viewers.

Wow. Tough to watch but leaves an impression.

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