This show was such a treat ♥︎ the vibe is so refreshing and good for the soul. I already miss it.

First of all, love seeing my angel Shin Min-ah back on screen. And even happier seeing Kim Seon-ho be cast as a male lead! He’s been second male lead after second male lead - it was his time!! And their chemistry, omg they are the gold standard.

Their love story is the heart of the show but you also get to watch the lives and stories of the other main residents in town. I’m not usually one for lots of side stories but as the show goes on you do get more attached to the townspeople and seeing their stories progress truly brings a smile to your face. I was especially a sucker for Mi Seon and police officer Eun Chul, they were adorable.

Although do be prepared for some heavy topics, and it can come as a bit of a shock when it’s right after episodes of fluff and happiness. Hometown Cha Cha Cha is a love story but it is also a story of healing. The burden and trauma that Hong Doo Shik carried..no wonder it was so difficult for him to open up after a life of those around him leaving him. I’m so glad that Hye Jin was there to be his rock so he could finally learn to forgive himself.

On the whole, a really beautiful show and I’ll miss the seaside town of Gongjin and its characters so much. I really want to go to the beach now ^-^
I’d highly recommend this show for viewers looking for something light and easygoing but who are also prepared for the angst and trauma that comes before healing. I promise the payoff is worth it!

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Falling Into Your Smile my beloved

This drama omg, what a ride. Let me begin by saying I was SO invested in this cdrama. It’s been a while since I’ve watched a gaming drama (my last being Love O2O) and I was not disappointed.

I did have my doubts going into it, eps 1-2 seemed to really enjoy emphasising ‘omg it’s a GiRL GaMeR????’ with so much sexism from both males AND females. Like funnily enough, a girl can also use a mouse and press keys.

I will also add that there is a lot of secondhand embarrassment you have to endure from the FL at times, mainly in the beginning.

But other than that, this show is so fluffy and wholesome. ZGDX (in fact nearly all the teams) have such strong found family vibes, they support each other and the team means everything to them <33

Plus you get to enjoy the group living together (hello roommates/university vibes) and the team’s priceless reactions to Tong Yao and Si Cheng’s budding romance. Truly one of the best parts of the show

Tong Yao and Si Cheng are one of my new favourite couples now, their chemistry is just on fire. You get to see them dating but not dating for 3/4 of the show until they become a REAL couple and omg, they are adorable. And may I also add, no stupid breakups - so refreshing.

In fact I think it’s safe to say I love nearly every character on this show. Jin Yang and Tong Yao’s friendship is SO pure and honestly goals. Even Jian Yang (Tong Yao’s ex) is SUCH a good guy. He may have been sexist at the beginning but even as he stayed in love with her, he never pressured her or made her uncomfortable. He did try hard for them to get back together in the beginning, but when Tong Yao said that they are well and truly over, he did accept it with grace (heartbreaking as it was for him). Then even past that point, he never held it against her! He defended her against netizens slandering her, was in constant awe of her gaming skills, and just, what a guy. Even during the final episode he was like “:D :D I taught her!! I taught her!! :D” omg I was melting.

But of course, Si Cheng is still number 1 in my heart. One of my new fav male leads! His type is ‘someone who can beat him in gaming’ - we stan. He supported Tong Yao from beginning to end and once they started dating, omg if you thought he was Mr. Hearteyes before, my gosh you won’t even recognise him when they date for real. Seriously, I can’t even remember the last time I saw a boyfriend so PDA <3

On the whole, this show is such a gem and I’ll miss it so very much. I already know that I’ll be rewatching this many times in the future

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Wow....I did not expect to have to rejig my whole review upon this drama's completion.

I still feel so..dejected. I've gone through the 5 stages of grief now and reached acceptance but man...still doesn't ease the pain. But I'll save my feelings regarding the ending for last and I'll give Queen Cheorin/Mr. Queen the proper review it deserves before addressing all that.

So first things first, this drama was absolutely spectacular. Bong Hwan A, I'll miss your character SO much.
And Shin Hye Sun, my gosh. She is the REAL queen here, what an actress.

Every episode was filled with fun and hilarious shenanigans. Seriously, no kdrama has made me laugh that hard in a long time. It was the perfect combination of comedy, romance and plot development.

Bong Hwan A (So Bong) was just so...iconic. Everyone in the palace is trying to get a handle on the queen as every episode she does something else batshit crazy lmao. Especially in the beginning when everyone thought the queen was planning something, meanwhile So Bong is just going through an existential crisis and knows next to nothing XD

And the romance! So Bong & Cheoljong will forever live in my heart. I mean where else are you gonna get: enemies to allies, friends to lovers, then to allies. Who else could do it better, they are the elite!

There is so much to love about their relationship but I still think nothing could be more iconic than the Queen's Dictionary. Cheoljong literally made a dictionary for all the strange new words he heard from So Bong so he could understand her better. He remembered EVERYTHING she ever said to him.....I need a moment.

Honestly if it wasn't for the ending, this would have been my new all-time favourite drama. I would have rated it 100000/10 if I could.

So what went wrong? Let's talk about the ending which I couldn't hesitate to call the worst and most unsatisfying in kdrama history. I can not believe they gave us a Scarlet Heart Ryeo ending but just multiply the pain by ten. And you know why this was worse? Because as heartbreaking as Scarlet Heart Ryeo's ending was, at least it was a completely sad ending. But Queen Cheorin? For some reason they gave us a tragedy packed in happy ending confetti????

Like I just can't believe (on Valentine's Day no less) that TVN decided to throw everything they built in the trash. Cheoljong loved Bong Hwan A, and loved him for who he was. Now Cheoljong has lost him forever :(
And Bong Hwan A! He has to live with the fact that he never gets to see his friends, husband, or future child ever again!!

I think I couldn't say it more perfectly than @acupofwishes (tumblr):

"The Mr. Queen writers took me to an expensive restaurant and bought me a 5 course meal with dessert, brought out a surprise birthday cake and had the entire restaurant sing to me, later that evening they reached for my hand and guided me to the dance floor and then, in the middle of our song, whispered gently into my ear that everything was laced with laxatives."

Listen I haven't read fanfiction for years but I’m seriously considering going on a hunt for reincarnation fics to heal my broken heart.

So now begs the question, would I recommend this drama? Honestly I have recommended this drama to so many people and I feel like I need to go back to them all and say 'nevermind!!' (or at the very least give them the heads up that the finale will leave them hollow inside). However at the same time... the first 19 episodes are so freakin amazing and I don't want them to miss out.....

So I suppose the decision is up to you. This drama is incredible and I had the BEST time watching, but at the same time I'll be thinking of this bittersweet ending every day for the rest of my life

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Wow…this was…a show. It felt like a combination of the Hunger Games, Lost and Liar Game.

The show in itself was enjoyable enough. The psychological aspect, the mystery of the upcoming games and the general unpredictability of it was pretty intriguing. You truly never know what direction the show's going to go in next. And I love that Arisu and Usagi have each other throughout the whole thing (love me some 'together but not together' vibes hehe)

You can basically split the show into two, the first half focuses on the games and the second half (the Beach arc) is more like The Society/Lord of the Flies with everyone trying to govern themselves in this place with no rules. It's in the second half where we see flashbacks to everyone's lives before entering Borderland (like they did in Lost) which I thought was a nice touch.

Although I really wish I knew it was gonna end in a ‘hAHA there’s still no answers, renew us for S2 if you want more’ kind of way. It felt so unsatisfying to finally be on the cusp of learning the truth, only to have MORE questions.

At least the show has been renewed for S2. Hopefully by the end we will get some answers - let’s see what they’ve got in store for us :D

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Oh boy, strap yourselves in for this review.

It seems I’m starting to have a type for Cdramas: Modern Woman gets Chucked Into Chinese Ancient Times - A World Full of Hot Men.

Kinda crazy when you think about, imagine diving into your own fanfic (every girl’s dream)

However, this drama was the definition of a mess. On paper, the premise and plot sound interesting (it's what drew me to the show after all) but watching it was a whole other story. There are so many flaws I don't even know where to begin.

The biggest problem in this show is the female lead. Chen Qian Qian is so ditsy, I found myself cringing at her actions 90% of the time. She spends so much time trying to make the story go exactly the way she wrote it in the script. Always trying to play wingman for the male lead and her sister and referencing the original storyline she wrote. All I wanted was for her to finally have an epiphany like ‘Omg, things can go different from the original story!’ What a concept! She wasn't dealing with a Back to the Future situation where she had to fix the past - this is a FANFIC. A story can go in ANY DIRECTION and I wished that she would just go with the flow rather than constantly trying to make things go her way.

I was also surprised how quickly she adapted to feudal life, she literally went from 21st century norms to historical China (or a made up version of it at least) and she was like “oh this is what’s happening, okay”. The only thing that separated her from everybody else in this world was how she kept trying to keep the plot on track. Speaking of, I don't understand her reasoning behind this. She has this idea that by making the story come to its written end, it will just magically plop her right back where she left off in the real world like some bad dream. Where is her logic behind this???

But what I missed from her character is she never has any 'modern' moments. For example, her saying something contemporary only we would understand (but would sound like gibberish to everyone else). I guess what I’m trying to say is: apart from her awareness that she is in a fake world (that she wrote), you wouldn’t even know she was a modern woman. She never has any times where her modern (future) knowledge comes in handy. For e.g. in ‘Moon Lovers’, Hae Soo helped the crown prince who had eczema because she recognised the symptoms and knew what would help his condition. Or Xiao Tan from ‘The Eternal Love’. She made endless modern references, forged a scooter, had a Victoria’s Secret fashion show, did a fun public dance in the street - she was iconic. I guess I just consider it wasted potential for Qian Qian's character.

Speaking of wasted potential, I need to talk about the second female lead: Chu Chu. I was so upset that her character regressed into the typical bitchy second lead (to the extreme I might add). At the beginning of the drama I found it so refreshing for the 2nd FL to be nice! After such a kind sisterly relationship in the beginning, it was such a let down to see it turn sour (especially when a lot of it was related to stealing a man). It hurt to see Chu Chu totally embrace the dark side, she has some major insecurity issues when it comes to Qian Qian.

I should also add, can the writers stay true to what they've written please? This whole time the plot has been centred around which princess will become the Young City Master, the heir to the City Master position. We are led to believe the City Master is the one in control of Huanyuan. But after some major political changes as everything is falling apart, the audience's concept on who controls the city does a full 180. Wasn't the City Master the one who had all the power and made the rules? But apparently the Minister of Defence has the power to instil laws and make political moves as well?? Like, how does a Minister of Defence get to decide on the city’s dress code??

And can we take a look at the logistics of this whole world please. Is EVERYTHING in this world written by Chen Xian Qian? Every character? All the backstory and history? She’s only a scriptwriter, I swear the drama script she wrote wasn’t that detailed. So…does the world just fill in the blanks? Because I don’t understand how this entire world was written by her, yet she knows nothing. For e.g. she wrote traitor Su Zi Ying’s character right? Yet she had no clue how Qian Qian’s character treated him badly when they were kids. How can that be? Did she write that in the script or not? Or what about the gasoline that was discovered under the mines? Total shock to her. How much of this world DID she write? Or is this universe just making its own rules and history? So many questions

Now, onto the couple. We all know that it's practically inevitable for a couple to have one of those forced breakups. Especially the ones that involve telling hurtful lies, secretly for their partner's ‘own good’. What I've always hated about this trope (apart from the obvious) is they can achieve the SAME RESULT by communicating with their partner and saying what needs to happen. Qian Qian could have literally told Han Shuo: "hey can you go to a secret location for the time being? I have a feeling a storm is coming and I want you out of harm’s way." it's THAT simple.

Another thing in regards Han Shuo: his heart condition. I feel like I need to voice the words of Dan Oh: “I have heart disease, why am I coughing?”

Where do I even begin with Han Shuo. Look, I love him a lot and he has many great moments. He is a loyal partner and supports Qian Qian wholeheartedly. His devotion to her is true, I completely acknowledge that. BUT there is something that happened that I feel like everyone forgot about. BIG red flag here.

There is a scene where Qian Qian is under house arrest (under Han Shuo's order) and he tries to sexually assault her. He keeps going until she just bursts into tears, it’s so hard to watch. He stops and you know what he SAYS? “You ruined my mood” yikes, yikes, yikes

And then he comes out of the house to see Mr 2nd lead out who's out in the rain and says “Do Chen Qian Qian’s screams sound nice?” Is it possible for my skin to crawl even further?

(I do know he had his reasons behind it - but even if he wasn't planning on going through with it, does that make it okay??)

I also understand that they eventually heal their broken relationship afterwards, but it was such an impactful scene (in all the wrong ways) that I couldn't forget it.

Another thing about their relationship is how Han Shuo calls himself her husband, but it feels so weird because did they REALLY get married?? They skipped literally every tradition and ceremony and didn’t consummate, so what DID they do to earn their marital status exactly?? And especially considering it was a marriage of kidnapping, does it really count?

(( And did they have their first time in a jail cell of all places? Ouch ))

Okay I should talk about what I did like about the story though so it's not just a review of negativity lol

I loved the idea of these 2 cities which the story is focused around. Xuanhu: where men is the superior sex. And Huanyuan: the other where woman are superior. It’s interesting to see a world where the roles are reversed and the women are in control. I was entranced by the beginning where they showed Huanyuan's social norms and history (where it's a blessing if the baby is a girl and a disappointment if it is a boy. A city where only women could study, have important positions, be soldiers, be the head of the household, etc). There is SO much to unpack with this concept. Unfortunately we only scrape the surface for the majority of the drama and only in the final 3 episodes do we finally get to see Xuanhu city. It's only then when we start to get into some good stuff like gender equality and comparing the two cities. I wish there was more focus on this!!

(And along the way there's a reveal that Han Shuo is Mulan’s son??? Say what? What IS this universe lmao)

Honestly... why do I feel like my favourite thing in Tiger and Rose is the costume department? XD
Chen Qian Qian had the most gorgeous clothes!!! Everybody has exceptional clothing, did all the budget go towards this hahaha

On the whole: the premise for Tiger and Rose was intriguing. However, it needed to be properly executed for it to be a drama worth giving credit to

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The King: Eternal Monarch was everything I could ever hope for in a drama. *chef's kiss* A masterpiece. I wish I could rewatch it again for the first time

Honestly if I had to recommend a kdrama for someone who had never watched one before, this would be it. A high budget, well-casted, well-written, exciting show that keeps you on the edge of your seat eager for more. It’s too good, too good!!

The romance was top tier. I'm aware it's been a topic of controversialness, but for me - Jung Tae Eul x Lee Gon are one of my new favourite couples. Especially the scene at the end of Ep 11. Had me on the edge of my seat!! That scene >>> any boring love scene ever made

Their dynamic was just so fun. A post to summarize (courtesy of @lavenderbyun):


Tae Eul: take your clothes off

Lee Gon: *undoes 1 button*

Tae Eul: I DIDN’T SAY STRIP YOU IGNORANT SLUT


Lmaoooo, they give me life ♡

And Lee Gon! My man. We love (1) romantic, skilled, handsome science nerd. Someone who travels across time and space for his love, asdfghjkl; A king worth stanning.

One of the highlights in the beginning? When we're in the Kingdom of Corea and people were just shocked cause no one is allowed to touch the king but he lets Tae Eul touch him HAHAHAHA

Considering his well-known 'I don’t like being touched by people', he is certainly shouting out loud here to everybody around him 'I'm crazy about this woman and I just want to touch her all the time!!!!'

I loved all the characters in this drama. Especially Jo Young & Eun Sup, their scenes were always a highlight. Woo Do Hwan has the range, give him all the awards

And his bromance with Lee Gon!! Love them sm

I will admit my brain started to hurt with all that time travel, multiple universes and that place where time doesn't flow. It is a lot to get your head around but just don't think about it too hard is my advice lol

Otherwise, this drama deserves all the praise. I could rave about it forever, please give it a shot!

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Another sageuk crossed off the list!

It's nothing you haven't seen, with all the classic tropes you've seen in every historical drama ever. The only thing that's new is D.O (Do Kyung Soo). Although his character was fairly one dimensional, he does have his moments. Some of my favourite lines:

*fireworks go off in the sky during the festival*
"There goes the taxpayer's money"

"I'm already aware you fell for my thighs, tell me something else"

"You mean to say I'm completely BROKE?"

He's a manchild, but I love him. Even D.O himself said how hopeless his amnesiac character is at the beginning

Interviewer: What kind of housework does Won Deuk do in the drama?
D.O: He can't do such things
Interviewer: Not at all?
D.O: No, not at all. Won Deuk is useless.

Lmao XD

I don't feel like going into details of the plot, characters or romance because it could all be described as average and generic tbh. Not necessarily a bad thing! Predictable doesn't always mean bad. After all, this drama does have a lot of enjoyable moments. However you shouldn't go into it with expectations it will knock your socks off either.

You should also be prepared for long episodes and for the final episodes to drag on forever (why didn't they just get rid of the villain 6 episodes ago!! what is the point in keeping him alive, 'he must live and suffer through his days' forget that bs just kill him)

Overall though, this drama wasn't too bad (if you're not sick of the amnesia trope yet lol)

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I really don't know how this drama did it, but no drama before has succeeded in consuming me body and soul.

Gosh it was sooooo binge-worthy and tbh, I don't even know why. This drama was a mess, but a beautiful mess! As if I was on crack, I couldn't get enough.

Some bits and pieces that made me love it:

- The work setting of a broadcasting studio ('Pinocchio' nostalgia!)
- Girl has crush on boy for several years but boy has no interest until fate pushes them together in the unlikeliest of ways ('Mischievous Kiss'/'Playful Kiss' anybody?)
- Even though the male lead says he has no interest in her, he comes through when other people disrespect her. (E.g. when she faced difficulties at work: he barged into the news room and was ready to throw hands!!)
- Another guy enters the picture to help him realise his feelings
- Love triangle with comedy & heartache
- Touched on a topic I wasn't expecting at all: male breast cancer. Was NOT expecting a fun broadcasting romcom to go down that road, but I'm so glad it did! So much came from it, from character growth, inner turmoil, shenanigans, great characters, and of course bonding of the couple.
- The male lead Hwa Shin's character is so interesting. A mix of arrogant, charming, tsundere and adorable. So multilayered, Jo Jung Suk truly shines in this drama.
- All the surrounding characters. Especially our big messy family
- Big relationship milestones that are we rarely see in kdramas!

If I had to describe the drama in short though, it's a love triangle taken to the extreme XD
It's one long, fun, bumpy ride that I'd gladly go on again and again

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This is one of the classics, a drama that every kdrama fan should have the pleasure of watching

It's a university/college drama: sageuk style, with all the ingredients for a good watch. It has comedy, a touch of mystery, an interesting plot, good characters, romance, and friendship. For all 20 episodes it maintains its quality, and is so binge-worthy.

I also cannot stress enough the chemistry of Yoon Hee x Sun Joon. It's as slow burn as it gets but the PINING is amazing. It’s the same struggle as ‘Love in the Moonlight’ where the guy is so in love and is in a constant battle with himself, all ‘nonono I can’t be gAy, nOooOOO i am NoT’

Tfw you like someone so much you’ll even like them despite the fact it is the biggest taboo of the time period. Get you a man who falls in love with you even when he thinks you’re a guy, he’s just THAT attracted to you.

I should also mention one of my favourite things about Sun Joon's character (minor spoiler! - but it is one of the best parts of the drama for me) - - is when her gender is revealed, he is so CONSIDERATE of her. Anyone who's seen any drama ever when the male lead finds out the big secret the female lead has been hiding from him, all hell breaks loose (some examples 'I'm Not a Robot' or 'The Secret Life of My Secretary'). But for once, when finding out some big secret, he DOESN'T shun the female lead and we don’t have to deal with that angst for ages. He is is so kind and asks her ‘so…for how long did you wear men’s clothes? …you don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable’ (my heart!!)

The only flaw for me is the ending, in the way that it felt rushed. The plot of the final episode is something that should have been given more focus and more time! There were also so many unanswered questions (not to mention the all-important-something™ the mains spent the whole drama looking for - ultimately made no difference in the outcome)

I should also warn you that as much as I love the romance in this, they have as much physical love/skinskip as a Studio Ghibli movie lmao. The magic is in the yearning, the emotions in their eyes!! I... must admit I wished for more, but hey it's still a beautiful love story nonetheless. 'Less is more' as they say.

Many said they got second lead syndrome from this drama but I didn't feel that way at all. Sun Joon's character is so charming, and fits so well with Yoon Hee. They are both intelligent, share the same views, and are the source of each other's smile. But also in the way opposites attract, and made each other better people. From the beginning she was a pessimist who only knew of the cruel world she grew up in as a peasant. The only way to support her family and use her talent was to disguise herself as a man, otherwise she would only be sold off. While HE was overly idealistic and grew up in a privileged home with strong ideals of a good world. But both of them had things to learn from each other, and gave each other courage. Need I say more?

Overall, I'd highly recommend it

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One of my favourite tropes is a Power Couple™ and this drama ticked all the boxes. I don't normally go for Medical Dramas, but the plot was so good that it changed my mind.

What this drama has going for it is the element of a modern drama AND a historical drama in one. The element of time travel makes it all the more interesting.

My favourite moments are when Dr. Heo Im goes into full-on doctor mode and saves his patients. They are so epic, and I never got tired of it. He has this ‘magic touch’ where he can tell exactly what’s wrong with the patient and fixes them like a superhero. It was just so cool! Especially when he and the female lead Dr. Yeon Gyung save people TOGETHER! Quality

Although, that being said: there are so many goddamn needles in this show. There’s even 3D graphics of the needle going INSIDE the skin, I don’t need to see that!! I get the idea! And there are SO MANY medical scenes... so yeah, I’m never watching Grey’s Anatomy. I've seen more than enough lol. I can't complain though, this is a MEDICAL DRAMA what were you expecting @myself?

Although it is crazy the amount of people who have medical issues. With every sick person they find, I'm thinking 'isn't anybody just...healthy?'

Best quote to sum up this drama: “Why are there patients wherever you go? Your timing is amazing” I’d been feeling that way since Day 1.

But ignoring those minor flaws, this drama is a very good one. And at the heart of the show is our couple. I appreciate what the writers have done with them, constantly paralleling each other. Started the story with them both being successful doctors but they still have areas they need to grow. Their journey together is so beautiful, as they heal each other's scars to become better doctors AND better people.

On the whole, this is definitely a drama worth your time.

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For any potential new viewers, they should ask themselves if they really want to spend a whole drama watching a love triangle between 1 guy and 1 girl. By that I mean a guy going out with the same girl pretending to be 2 different people. If you’re really interested in watching said guy not being able to put the two and two together for the majority of the show, then be my guest.

Our male lead doesn’t just suffer from prosopagnosia, he also suffers from dumb bitch disease.

Like...how can he not recognise her voice??

Don’t worry, it’s not just him I have a bone to pick with, what is with our female lead? Jung Gal Hee, girl what are you doing? Why are you pretending to be someone else, why can’t you just come clean!? Must you really wait for the universe to do it for you so it’s even harder for him to forgive you? Ugh I hate these writers, writing it just so it gets revealed in dramatic fashion.

Anyways, you know why I don’t like this drama? The only reason they got together in the first place is because he got face blindness and she was the only face he could see (because she wore the same red cardigan every day all year so it trained him to recognise her face automatically or something). Otherwise after he fired her it would have been left at that. He only made her stick around because he needed her.

But ALSO it’s so vague! I thought the deal was when she has her red cardigan on he can miraculously see her face? But then somewhere along the way, it changes and the truth is he can’t REALLY see her face, it’s like he can just remember it (like a blank canvas from memory) - not her actual expressions?? Then there are times when she IS wearing the cardigan and she’s like “I wish you could see my face right now” I don’t understaaaaand
Pick your vague rules and stick with them please.

Although I loved Veronica Park. She was such a fun character. And the friendship between Veronica Park and Gal Hee! We support this wholesome relationship (when they hugged and were all excited because of their crushes!!! we stan)

Also kudos for this to be the first drama where I liked the secondary couple. Loved them. (more than the main couple whoops)

The villains are so mediocre, you don't even know who the real villains are half the time. (but it is HILARIOUS to see the female lead talk about the 'oh so important object' that the villains are after - ONLY in the villain's presence lmao). There are heaps of other things that don't add up but you get to the point you don't even care anymore.

On the whole, this drama is light and easy, but oh so dumb and frustrating. Watch at your own risk.

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Oh how I wish I could gain back my weekend hours instead of binging this...

I started it because I wanted to see everything my boy Lee Seung Gi's is in, and the plot description didn't seem too bad. But honestly this drama can be described in one word: cliché. Boy oh boy is it frustrating when it’s exactly what you’d expect and you could practically write the show yourself.

This drama is your basic crime-mystery plot, with the heroes vs the Corrupt Company/Authority.
Everything is connected, and with every developing plot line it’s like "oh OF COURSE this person is related to this" and "of coURSE this tragic past incident is connected to the other person's past trauma"

Even the romance is cliché in every possible way. He’s the cold but mysterious male lead and she’s the cute, clumsy dorky one in the squad. They knew each other in their childhood, I could go on. And I really disliked his treatment of her. He belittles her, calls her ‘birdbrain’ and ‘freeloader’ when she’s been nothing but nice to him. Even by the end of the drama I still couldn't support the couple because they had barely any screen-time so I couldn't get attached to them.

I’m just in a constant tug of war between 'not enough romance' or 'pls! no more forced/unnecessary romance thx'. Like why couldn't the writers make it more natural? The romance scenes feel separate from the rest of the show, almost like switching genres. It adds nothing to the plot so I guess they just added it every now and again to say 'Oh but there's romance too!' It's so bizarre, a ‘romantic’ scene happens, aaaand then it’s back to the plot the next scene. Back to normal. Idk, it’s just a weird way they’ve done things???

To explain what I mean (minor spoiler:) The couple had like 6 mini scenes during the whole drama (and half of them are just them looking at each other while they're sleeping), and didn’t even have a REAL mutual kiss until the last 5 minutes of the last episode, what kind of bs? It's like, include it in the story or DON'T!

Not only is it predictable, the entire plot just goes around in circles. The reason behind the tragic crime at the beginning of the drama keeps freaking CHANGING. UGH the entire plot is stretched out sooooooo unnecessarily long. Even I was like “wait there's MORE??? WHEN WILL THIS TRAIL OF CORRUPTION AND LIES END?!!?!” I'm as emotionally exhausted as the characters. I pity the male lead so much. He's at the centre of everything and just when he overcomes yet another heartbreaking truth, there's another truth bomb around the corner. You’re All Surrounded? More like 1001 ways to hurt Eun Dae Gu. So much pain for one man, yikes.

Although I did love when the show called themselves out:

“Why do these kinds of things only happen to Team 3? This stuff only happens in dramas.”

He’s right and he should say it.

Or his other famous line "This team is bad luck! Hostages! Attacks! And your mother was assaulted! And now yet another attack!” lmao he is my spirit animal

Yeah so, save your time. If you're after an actual DECENT Heroes vs the Corrupt Leaders drama, watch 'Healer' or 'Pinocchio'. They're made in the same year and everything.

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I know I'm late to the party but I must write about my star-crossed sweethearts ♡

I must say, this drama had it all. I think there are several factors that made it as good as it was. For me, my main points are:

- the element of North and South Korea. It almost feels like a parallel world (maybe just because I’m watching ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’ right now) but they are both so different, and the North gave it that element of danger but also innocence (since they don’t have access to much and it’s very backward)
- the brotherhood with the 4 soldiers, each with their own personality (hello 'found family' trope because se-ri's biological brothers are human garbage)
- the age of the leads: in their mid-late 30s rather than in most dramas it’s 20s, gives it a more mature feel
- stunning cinematography and soundtrack
- star-crossed lovers trope
- the plot is v good

+ one of my favourite intros ever.

But I must say, one thing I found so funny in this were these Trucks of Doom™. Like why did the villains have to go through All. That. Trouble. every time they needed someone killed. There are so many other methods to make it look like an ‘accident’ why do they do they same M.O. every time???

And even 'I' think that this show has too many coincidences, even for kdrama standards. The amount of times they had a ‘chance encounter’ in the past is crazy lol

Even so, this drama is such high quality. So glad I finally got around to watching it.

P.S: Ri Jeong Hyeok has set the standard impossibly high, sucks for all the guys who aren’t him because he has just raised all our expectations by 847%

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This was the drama that made me look forward to Thursdays and Fridays ♥︎♡

Myungsoo/L was made to play this role. And Baeki (the name of the cat actor) deserves all the fresh kitty treats.
(I did some research and can you believe Baeki's owner has like 15 cats!!!!!!)

The start of the show starts nice and fluffy. It was exactly what I needed at that time, a wholesome show. The interactions between the female lead Sol Ah and our cat-boy Hong Jo are so pure, they're so sweet together.

Jae Seon the second lead is pretty boring ngl, but I did love the bromance with him and Hong Jo. He doesn't want to admit it but he has a soft spot for Hong Jo.

I didn't mind the secondary couple either, they were sweet.

However halfway through the show, it starts to get sad very fast. I was like "what's this angst doing in here??"
Suddenly they introduced logic to the show and he has the lifespan of a real cat? It was like a mix of fluffy and angsty from there onwards. Every episode was like 'thanks for my weekly cry'

I was so stressed over how the show was going to end but I'm content. Many unanswered questions but idc
Overall I really enjoyed it! It was so visually beautiful, and the OST was nice, it worked well with the show's atmosphere.

I'd recommend it for those not looking for anything too heavy, and just something lighthearted :)
(and Hong Jo is just the cutest cat ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ best boy)

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I was so ready to rave about how healthy and supportive this relationship was all the way through and they got SO close! Until the male lead acts OOC at the last minute because hey our plot needs conflict and will make the happy ending all the more satisfying.

But let's start from the beginning. The plot is pretty average, but juuuust interesting enough to keep you watching.
It's full of cliches from:

- child abandonment/mommy issues
- chaebol heirs of big corps + meddling parents
- the lead/leads need to leave (usually abroad or just abandoning responsibilities)
- accidents + hospitals
- blackmail
- "Ahjussi!"

But oh well, every drama has its own set of kdrama tropes so whatevs. But my favourite thing about this drama is how nice our male lead Kang Soo is. He makes friends wherever he goes, picking them up like flyers, I love it. When one of our big bads did a background check to try and find dirt on him (only to come up empty), the assistant was like “he got 5 Brave Citizen awards” and just started listing all his good deeds LMAO

And whenever he needed help and 380+ people helped him out, it was great - wholesome deliveryman community here.

But to summarise the show's plot, it's just a constant cycle of:

New Ideas™ ⇒ Beat the Competitor ⇒ Competitor Plays Dirty ⇒ Our Company is In Turmoil (Angst) ⇒ Don’t Give Up! ⇒ Start again

I swear, at the end of the day I feel as emotionally exhausted as the characters.

Onto the romance, the beginning was written so...weird? Can we just forget the first 4-5 eps ever happened? The male & female lead have like 0, nil romantic scenes until around Ep 5-6. To the point where I even had to go onto this website and check that they were in-fact: the main couple.

And THEN towards the middle, the leads do finally get closer BUT before they’d even confirmed their feelings or anything, everyone around them said they’re dating but when did they ever confirm their relationship?? They hadn’t even kissed? There is no confession, no sharing of feelings, it just…happened?? It literally feels like skipping a step (and the step is the best part!!)

But getting past all that, they eventually do confirm their feelings, kiss, etc so it's okay. And after they do get together (for reals) they are v cute and are honestly goals. It was a long haul to get there, but it was worth it.

And like I said before, I was so excited to find a rare drama where the couple doesn't undergo some bs turmoil and angst. There was even this line:

Dan Ah (Best Girl): “No matter what happens, let’s not break up in a stupid way”
[lol, even as she said it I knew it was too good to be true]

But the unnecessary break-up is over and done with fairly quickly so don't stress. It's more the fact that it was added it in there so last minute that it's like 'WHY you were doing SO WELL'

At least it was refreshing to have a female lead who throws some hands! Especially when people are making dumb moves and she needs to snap some sense into them.

Crap I just realised I hadn't even talked about the second leads yet. I almost forgot about them XD (they are easily forgettable) To summarise: Ji-Yoon (the red-headed girl), well.... couldn’t they have written her character less ..annoying? Especially in the beginning, she's such a pest. Jin-Gyu was slightly more interesting. At least he had creative ideas and didn't surrender to his dad or Ji-Yoon's mum (the evil CEO). Their romance was predictable but you get used to it.

On the whole, this drama is okay. It can be a chore to watch at times (especially when it drags towards the end) but still, I didn't mind it and it had some enjoyable moments.

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