This isn't a typical "scriptwriter has it all laid out for you" type of drama. In fact, it's probably the most confusing drama I've ever seen. But it doesn't mean it's bad. In fact, the scriptwriter had her own logic regarding parallel universes and time travel, and it's our job to figure it out as the audience. So if you're into puzzle-solving and piecing things together, then this drama is for you!

The drama starts with bits and pieces of the two worlds, with an overwhelming number of characters (and their dopplegangers, which you may or may not recognize--). There's a lot of foreshadowing going on, as well as important details that will come in handy later on. Hence I suggest that while you're watching, you may want to subscribe to an analysis/explanation YouTuber or something (I had the benefit of being able to understand the Taiwanese YouTubers who did episode-by-episode analyses afterward. It helped me tremendously after ep 7 or 8).

Midway through the drama, things really start coming together and then the originally-slow storyline starts picking up. I think it took me til ep 9 or 10 to really appreciate the complexity and the plot development of this drama -- we follow Lee Gon on an unpredictable puzzle-solving journey to piece together how this world works and how he can save the world from being ruined by Lee Rim.

After finishing the last episode, I began my rewatch journey and suddenly *everything I saw in the first few episodes made sense.* After learning who's who, it's a lot easier to see the significance of every detail presented at the beginning and how everything fell into place at the end. Hence this isn't a one-watch drama -- it's something where after you go through it once to get the gist of it, you will want to go through again to pick up clues to the puzzle and interesting little details that didn't make sense without context.

The main love line didn't make sense to me (since I'm not a huge "destiny/fate" person and the character development wasn't that convincing). However, you will want to keep watching the show just to see how the other characters' relationships develop, and how Lee Gon strives to defeat the evil. There's so much going on with all the characters that having a faulty main lead romance won't kill the drama. Until the drama picked up, I totally watched it for Jo Yeong x Eun Seop. Favorite bromance. Amidst all the killing/deaths, the scriptwriter also did not forget to put appropriate comedic relief, so I found myself laughing a lot during the show.

Gotta commend the acting -- Woo Do hwan and Kim Go-eun especially, who had multiple characters to play. I really hope they win acting awards (and that Tae-ra is just a foreshadow of what will happen in real life next year ;)
The OST was also great. Not as great as Goblin, but I would put this on repeat.

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The production team's best drama to date!

This drama starts off really promising, with Zhang Xin Cheng's amazing body-switch acting (okay Liang Jie lacked a little at the beginning but gets better) and a very upbeat funny script
and superb comedic timing when it comes to the background music (waiter! please give the BGM teacher one extra chicken leg!)
but as with the two previous dramas by this production team (Go Ahead and Find Yourself), I was worried that the scriptwriter would also give up on the earlier successes and like, disappoint us in the end
so I was hesitant to recommend this until I had watched all of it.

By episode 24, I was like, wow this is really keeping up
and by episode 26, I thought this was probably one of the best Chinese dramas I've seen this year.

The strengths of Find Yourself -- ridiculously funny character settings + breaking the 4th wall humor (oh my god that *one* scene hahahaha)
and the strengths of Go Ahead -- family love and reconciliation
minus the weaknesses of the two earlier dramas -- draggy plot, irrational character decisions, single-faceted villain characters

In this drama, not only all the main characters are lovable, but even the side slightly-bad villain characters get their redeeming moments
and I guess the 26-episode shortness kind of helped keep things contained and to the point
so we got the comedy and the fun and the romance without the draggy plot

I've already mentioned Zhang Xin Cheng's acting, but I got to mention it again.
Best female lead of 2021.
When he plays the female lead's soul, his attention to small details... 100% resemblance holymoly.
Would recommend even if you're not into rom coms and are just into enjoying good acting, music, and cinematography.
And even more recommended if you love a good rom com too. Cus this one is pretty great.

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A manga adaptation that was ruined by the manga.

I was super excited about this movie because of the cast -- our #BestCP from I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (Kitamura Takumi and Hamabe Minami), plus Akaso Eiji (will admit that I don't know the other female lead).
However as the story got on I realized it was so full of typical shoujo manga/drama tropes that I would like jokingly name the most "tropey" plot development possibility and it would friggin' come true. Like it became a hilarious meme that I was predicting the characters' next line or the next camera scene. And the story did get really WTF as it went on...

However the directing is AMAZING. The way the story slowly unfolded and we started to see hints of what each character was thinking based on subtle facial expression hints, or hints in what they said, or random zoom ins of the camera... I really liked the whole process of trying to guess what would happen next. I looked up the director and found he was the same one who did Tomorrow I will Date with Yesterday's You, as well as Girl in the Sunny Place. I loved *both* movies when they came out, and I can see how they were done by the same director -- all movies featured a lot of foreshadowing and shocking (but predictable if you were tracking earlier scenes) plot twists.

Official theme song is by Higedan. I know the song from my Spotify playlist because I love their work for Confidenceman JP. The other BGM were also very nicely chosen and fit the theme. I would totes put the whole OST on repeat.

TL;DR: Watch it not for the ridiculous plot, but for the way the story is told to you. And extra points if you like the actors/actresses, because they really get to show off their skills in this one.

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A riveting, gripping folklore-inspired love story

The Grim Reaper in "Goblin" strikes again with another non-human character... this time he plays a gumiho, which is a nine-tailed fox commonly seen in East Asian folklore.
Like Goblin, this is a love story between a non-human and a human; and like Goblin, there are past lives and many twists and turns of fate involved.
But unlike Goblin, I'd say the support characters are even *more* true to the folklores they are based off of, hence making watching "Tale of the Nine Tailed" a really cool cultural activity as well for those who are interested.
(There are some YouTubers who actually do a folklore analysis of the episodes, but the channel I watch is in Taiwanese--

I'm very impressed with the storytelling. With fantasy there's always the risk that multiple lines get opened up and then the scriptwriter contradicts their own storyverse logic / fails to tie up the loose ends at the end
but Tale of the Nine Tailed was interesting from start to finish, and the end really did feel like the end of a story.
(of course, you'll see why they needed to do a spinoff for Lee Rang, but that's something for another day--
The reason it's not 9/10 or higher is I usually reserve those points for very thought-provoking or tight scripts with heavy use of literary devices, and Tale of the Nine Tailed is... a regular "good plot-heavy drama" in my books.

The casting was superb. All the major characters held up their end, and I'm especially impressed by the growth of the female lead Cho Bo-ah, who, as you'll see in the drama, played a very complex character.
Lee Dong-wook's microexpressions are always A+ and add not only depth to his character but also the occasionally-necessary comedic relief.

Long story short, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a consistently-good-throughout fantasy drama without the stupid "male lead gets cancer," or "leads have a misunderstanding" sort of draggy drama tropes.
The story was tight from start to finish and it would make for a wonderful binge watch (though I had to suffer waiting every week for 2 episodes haha...)

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Predictable, cute happy fluff!

a very very typical rom com formula focused on the comedy and the sugar
it's super tropey with many trip-over-and-accidentally-kiss scenes
but they are so cute(!!!) and like they recognize it's tropey too with the manga/anime profession as the background

with all tropey dramas we worry that there would be evil 2nd leads trying to break the leads apart and that would get really draggy over multiple episodes
but the big sad valley here really doesn't last more than 2 episodes so you can rest assured when you dive into the drama
(and if you're really angry, fast forward is always an option... the ending makes up for it I promise)

so I would recommend if you're in for some cute happy fluff
plus the two actors, despite being very new to the industry, are surprisingly well-suited for their roles?
though I think they changed quite a bit of the script (based on how the voice doesn't match the mouth) so if you get very annoyed by the Chinese dubbing habit that might be some points off)

also check out the behind-the-scenes of their "3 minute long kiss" on YouTube
will add to your viewing experience for sure :)

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A rare gem in the historical detective story realm!

This was SUCH a good watch. A rare drama that I watch at 1x speed (instead of 1.5-2x) because it was soooo full of content and useful information, and there are so many good couples to ship with amazing chemistry <3

As a detective story, it called back content/keywords that appeared in the past, and all the characters (both the good and the bad) are so smart so you won't get those "angry at the main character for making stupid decisions that lead to slow-moving draggy drama" moments! The fact that this is more detective-focused than romance-focused also meant, we had a very logic and detail-oriented plot full of surprises and twists and turns! You're bound to be amazed by the battle of the wits between the leads and the bad guys :P

While the IQ is 200 in the show, they did make the lines such that the normal viewer would be able to understand what's going on, and they supplement a lot of visual-spatial descriptions with cutely drawn comics!

Also, every character is well-described and has multiple faces -- so you don't have single-faceted characters that only show up for a bit to serve one purpose. This made all the side characters super lovable as well (except for maybe the one or two villains, of course hahaha)

As a rom com, the script design is smart and the comedic timing is gold. I don't need to say anymore -- just go watch the show. XD The only reason this isn't a 10/10? I didn't get enough of the 2 leads. I could have used an extra 2 minutes of them at the end, instead of a very very crime-solving focused finale...

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It was cute until it got old...

From the opening theme song you'll already know that this isn't your typical historical drama... it's essentially just a rom com (with a lot of comedy) but with historical costumes.
I really loved this show from the beginning until I want to say somewhere in episode mid-20's, and then it lost all its charm because of the stupid draggy stuff that unfortunately happens when drama-writing gets lazy. And the ending was too cliche and not even mildly satisfying, making the middle draggy plot not worth enduring in my opinion :(
And from the behind-the-scenes, we know the drama-writing is pretty lazy. The director commented on how he had to change a few scenes because the script wasn't realistic enough.

This show reunites Wan Peng and Zhang Yao from When We Were Young, giving them completely different feels. If you shipped the 2ML x 1FL couple from that show, you'll find this main pairing satisfying I guess. In this sense, it was an okay watch for some sugar and fluff (and typical rom com predictability).

The songs are pretty fun (and you might find videos of the leads dancing to the catchy opening theme if you look for some behind the scenes)

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OH. MY. GOD. I rarely give dramas over a 9/10 (to save the 9.5 and 10 for extreme mind-blowers)
This is one of them.

So let's break down why I loved this drama:

1) Jang Ki Yong
Not going to lie, this was the motivation to start this drama-- I watched him in the gay web drama with Choi Woo Shik, and in Go Back Couple, wanted more of him. And boy did he deliver. Park Morgan is like ideal boyfriend 101. I'm a fan.

2) Girl power!!!
The main story is about 3 women fighting in business / the search engine market, but also against big corporations / big government. The major players in this fight are generally women, which is already a rare scene you'd see in dramas. Moreover, everyone has a unique personality and a convincing backstory. Immense character development -- you only know who's good and who's bad at the very end; and you'll learn to love even the bad -- because they added so much to the story-telling.
Also, I love how the romance isn't the defining factor for these 3 women -- they are successful badass independent career women, whose conversations will for sure pass the Bechdel test with flying colors, *who have romance lines on the side*. It's like the male characters *add* to the colors of the story and don't dominate the story.

3) THE. ACTING.
Especially Lee Jae Wook. CAN WE TALK ABOUT LEE JAE WOOK? I watched him in Memories of Alhambra (did not remember him until I saw the behind-the-scenes of Search:WWW mentioning his role there), and in When The Weather Is Fine (when I first registered this actor), and then in Extraordinary You.
You'll notice that the previous roles I saw him as were pretty 1-dimentional -- ok maybe it was more complex in Extraordinary You, but seeing his acting in Search:WWW was a huge upgrade from the other dramas I saw previously. I was blown away by his double role as the character in the drama-in-drama, and as the actor character (you'll see what I mean). Really trying not to spoil too much, but the complex emotions he conveys through his eyes are A+. Was he really just 21 when he acted in this? Such mature acting, thought he was in his late 20's or early 30's...

Also, similar situation with Lee Da Hee -- I usually see her as the chaebol second female lead who's jealous of the first lead and tries to sabotage or something (see I Hear Your Voice, Secret, Beauty Inside). Essentially, as someone else said, type-casted into a young pretty rich jealous cold role.
However, her role in Search:WWW added another dimension of her. You'll see soon after ep 1 that there's so much more to her character than a staff member of the female lead's competitor company. She gets an amazing back story and a beautiful character development line. You'll start rooting for Da Hee soon enough. OK I won't spoil any more than this -- but IT WAS GOOD.

4) Finally, most importantly, the script.
I judge dramas mainly by their script, and this one does not disappoint. Things that get mentioned early on get brought back as important plot points. The comedic relief is also strong -- if there's a huge feels scene, be prepared for a sudden joke someone makes that will leave you cracking up on the floor.
Without spoiling the ending -- note that it's worth sticking it out til the end, because the ending is written beautifully and does tie everything up nicely (and elegantly refers the viewers back to point #2 -- the girl power theme)
One reason why it's not 10/10 is because the main couple did sort of annoy me at one point, unnecessarily. I guess the writer needed it as a plot driver or something. But other than that, perfect script.

This is a drama that has a great theme (female empowerment + societal ethics + politics), great romance lines (second couple best couple; but let's be real the other two pairs are also worth rooting for), and hilarious comedic relief when you need it (or even when you think you don't need it).
I usually don't rewatch things because I don't like knowing what happens next, but for this drama I will happily rewatch compilations of certain scenes -- and of the second couple. OMG I love them so much.

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As expected from Ishihara Satomi <3

Totally watched this for the female lead, Ishihara Satomi. She's known for pretty cool career roles such as Kouetsu Girl and Unnatural
and I was looking forward to what sort of heartwarming/inspiring career drama she would bring.

Pharmacists as lead characters is kind of new, and although honestly this idealistic Ishihara shines a little too bright for the drama title "Unsung Cinderella," this drama has really hit all the good spots I was looking for.

Each episode a different set of patients she has to take care of, and she really demonstrates the type of human nature one would hope to encounter in the healthcare setting. Total role model material.
Plus the characters just really have a lot of chemistry with one another!!! Such that at the end when there's that big build-up storyline (ep 9-11) -- the story progression is logical and satisfying to watch. The experienced actors' acting skills also really put it up top.

Would recommend to anyone who has 11 episodes' time to spare. Really nice and warm watch that will teach you a little more about the unique work of hospital pharmacists.

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This is a drama about healing. There's no "male lead's parents killed female lead's parents" sort of messy stuff, or the male chaebol's mother kimchi-slapping the female lead, or some ultimate bad guy desperately trying to ruin the leads (or break them up)

Just... very mellow healing.

But this drama is good at that.

The layout of the script is confusing at times -- just like how real human emotions are complex. Every character has their own trauma they have to overcome. Yet despite how incomplete each of these characters feel on their own, they heal each other. Watching the journey of Ha Won and Seo Woo warmed my heart.

I watched this for Jung Hae In, but I was blown away by how good the female lead was too -- Chae Soo Bin is pretty young but her acting is quite mature, especially spotlighted in a show like this one.

Not for the excitement-seeking kdrama watcher. But if you like something relaxing, slow, and mellow without stupid kdrama tropes -- I would suggest this series.

PS: That AI device is pretty badass -- if only they existed in real life!

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The love story isn't the main point!

Great cinematography, literary technique, and a very tight character development script. If you're a literature nerd, you'll enjoy analyzing the foreshadowing, the throwbacks, and the parallel structure in many places.
You'll see major motifs getting called back from time to time to help you understand characters better or signify their development. The writing was also super consistent from start to finish, and loose ends were tied up really well. I love how the story started with mean questions at a talk, and ended with mean questions at another talk. This is the type of production I love to see.

Yes, just like everyone else I got the second male lead syndrome, but the love story isn't the main point here. The writer put so much more emphasis on the grandma x Ji-pyeong "fake family," the Seo sisters + family, the Ji-pyeong x Do-san bromance, etc. I'm especially a fan of grandma and Ji-pyeong... the human aspect of this drama is amazing. Makes me wish I had a grandma like that (cries a little

If you're a cameo-chasing nerd, you'll also enjoy the special easter eggs they threw in. Like the 2 Days 1 Night guy playing a security guard, or Lee Bo-young (female lead of the scriptwriter's previous drama I Can Hear Your Voice) at the bar, or Yeo Jin-goo's voice as Young-sil the AI...

To summarize: Watch it for the production value. Watch it for the family drama. Watch it for character development. You'll love the show.

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A deep, thought-provoking, realistic romance comedy.

After getting a Netflix subscription I came back to rewatch this drama, and it's so much better than I remembered it.

Romance: three pairs of leads each facing a different relationship challenge. I love how all three storylines get their spotlight and are interwoven -- it really adds to the plot as well as the complexity of the characters' friendships. The supporting characters are also suuuuper lovable so you'll just end up loving everyone in the show!

Social issues: this is not a light-hearted comedy, as the scriptwriter uses the drama to bring out more serious elements. If you are easily triggered by sexual assault or workplace sexual harassment, then this drama is not for you. The conflicts the three female leads have with patriarchy and traditional family values are so real and so relatable; and the drama tells these stories soooo well (with satisfying closure for those of us who want to see justice being served in creative ways). I also love how, instead of having kdrama trope-y jealous second female leads, this drama is all about women supporting each other through hardship. Within the last few episodes, a very unlikely friendship develops (by kdrama standards) and the heart-warming factor is A+.

Storytelling style: I LOVE the directing and the production. The comedic timing is so on point, with an unexpected twist here and there bound to make you laugh. I also love how they switch between different settings to slowly build up the tension of a scene, so that the punchline hits harder at the end. A good example is in that *one very special exhilarating* scene in ep 14. I also love how they will gloss over important scenes and come back to add details to them later.

TL;DR: This is a drama I will recommend to everyone who wants a down-to-earth, real life romance with *some* cute fluff sprinkled here-and-there. The girl power in this drama is also really cool.
This drama will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you angry at the garbage workplace and family "traditions." But at the end, it was such a fun ride that I would rewatch the famous scenes over and over and over again.

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A must watch for melodrama enthusiasts and acting fans!

The novel this drama was based on actually had two sections -- a historical bad-end love story and a modern-day reincarnation. The reason this got split into 2 dramas (One and Only, then sequel Forever and Ever) is due to mainland Chinese broadcasting rules -- apparently reincarnation stories are banned? So they got to do it like this.

Hence I came into this knowing that this is the sad part I'll have to sit through before the happy stuff in Forever and Ever... and despite knowing how the love story ends, it's still very much worth a watch for the acting, the feels, and the character chemistry. You have seasoned actors Bai Lu and Ren Jialun who are KNOWN for how well their eyes convey emotion. And then despite the bad end being well-known, the surprising attention to detail in the script will amaze you -- motifs and themes being brought back to add to the emotion of the scene (and to cheat you out of more tears). I think part of this can be attributed to the fact that the novel writer had a hand in the drama script. And the director / production team really knew what they were doing. I'm not very prone to crying while watching dramas, but I absolutely lost it in the last 2 episodes and was loudly bawling from the plot, the directing, and the insert songs... Oh boy the insert songs. They added so much feeling to the scenes.

Also, if you're an Under the Power fan, you will appreciate the return of several actors like Xie Yuanyuan and Lin Yi. It's fun to see them work together again :) And one of Shengchen's generals is Linda from Never Say Goodbye!!! (ie. all of them are Ren Jialun's former co-stars? LOL)

PS: the rewatch value is purely for the 2 episodes of sugar before the big sad hit. I can't put myself through those sad scenes again -- hurt too much T-T (in a good way)

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