So predictable, I’m not even disappointed

If you have a list of mediocre Korean dramas, this is one to add to the list. This is another typical drama that has quite a good concept and strong start but horrible progression that ends up draggy and boring.

The villain is lame and just evil, not exactly smart. Those hidden plots or mystery pointers they planted throughout the drama are underwhelming. You can almost foresee what is going to happen next when watching the drama. At least, from the first quarter I’d already knew

1. Do Hee and Koo Won must have been lovers in his past life.
2. Seok Hoon is definitely not the evil one here - despite the scriptwriters planting so many parts hinting that he was.
3. The true villain was never Do Kyung but actually his father.
4. Do Hee and Koo Won will never die - regardless how many times they actually went through death.

I find predictions in the comment section more interesting than the actual plot. Korean dramas must be running out of ideas at this point.

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A good kind of different

I don’t think I’ve watched a drama which ending I am sad about but at the same time satisfied with. This is the kind of drama that would spend most of the time building relationships, giving the kind of interactions you are looking for and watching the characters grow, so much that towards the ending, you can’t imagine a different kind of ending than the one they did in the drama.

There are so many parts to the drama which I absolutely love. Each character has their time to shine and you could see how the character grow and change throughout the drama. They may seem insignificant in the beginning but as you progress towards the end of the drama, you can’t help but see the importance of their roles. Just losing one of them would change the tone and it wouldn’t be the same. The plot is so connected to each other, it is actually a journey.

It’s not just about romance. It’s a mixture of sacrifice, comradeship and love for the country. This group of soldiers (or spies) were betrayed by their emperor but because of their trust towards their leader and the love they have for their country, they are willing to put aside that hatred and sacrifice their lives to protect the people in their country. They are a group of people who puts their country and their comradeship before anything else. As much as they dream of living a peaceful life, they knew nothing else but the chaos they lived in. It’s their calling and they recognised it. The final few episodes were the most painful parts but I do think each of this character had lived the kind of lives that fit their characters and also died for the most noble reasons. I guess they all have found their peace in the end. In a way, it’s probably the only way they could find peace in the kind of environment the country was in. Their sacrifices made a huge difference to winning the battle but there would be more battles to come and they could never truly retire even if they had survived.

This is truly one of a kind and I really think the way the drama had progressed was very meaningful and fitting. Definitely worth watching.

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Underwhelming

I think this is really down to preference. I guess there was no promise of revenge from the start and the drama is meant to focus on Samdal’s self discovery, heading back to her roots. But I was expecting a little bit more drama to be honest.

They created this pretty nonchalant character at the beginning when Samdal was so cool about her ex-boyfriend cheating on her. Then they also built up a story about how bitter and just jealous this Bang Eun Joo was. And it stops there. The rest of drama, we witness all the back and forths between Samdal and Yong Pil in which till this day the break up was still a little stupid to me.

We spent a good amount of time digging way back to why the couple broke up and then got back together; seeing the sub-plots between the other two sisters and their partners; making sense out of why Yong Pil’s dad hated the family. With a lot of draggy built ups and fillers, we’ve finally reached the part where the drama comes to a close. At this point, I had given up hope of seeing any drama comeback from Samdal, the big revenge or karma on Eun Ju and this big mystery of why Samdal couldn’t go back to her hometown and breaking up with Yong Pil. Spoiler alert, none of them was interesting.

This drama is probably nice to watch if you are looking for something to play in the background - uneventful, peaceful and non-dramatic.

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Not the ending I hope for, but worth watching

Am I the only one who find this whole part about 4 very good potential guys chasing after one girl a bit too cliche? It's like Boys Over Flowers / F4, but in ancient drama. Don't get me wrong, I love how the characters played out but I guess I'm not a huge fan of the romance plot. Every guy seems to be pining for one girl, it does seem like the entire world only has one potential girl worth chasing after.

If I strip away all the romance, each character is multi-dimensional and I love how the actors / actresses play out their characters.

1. The character whom you should hate but couldn't because he makes you feel more sad than angry - Xiang Liu
2. You also have this character who is playboy (with reason), powerless but extremely capable and the most loyal to one - Chang Xuan
3. A character who has everything but also has nothing - Tushan Jing
4. This girl who has gone through the worst things possible in life from being abandoned, abused, surviving alone and heartbroken - Xiao Yao

Who am I rooting for with Xiao Yao? To be honest, I really would love Chang Xuan together with Xiao Yao. The chemistry between the two characters is honestly off the charts. Chang Xuan is so firm on protecting Xiao Yao, that nothing could get in the way. Without hesitation, he would sacrifice anything to keep Xiao Yao from harm.

Of course, the one person who could match Chang Xuan is Xiang Liu. I feel bad for him. The whole time, he seems to always be alone. Other than Xiao Yao, I don't think I see him having a genuine good time with anyone else.

I always thought Tushan Jing is quite acceptable. Until when Xiao Yao was "assassinated". Dude went into coma the whole time because of his unwillingness to live without Xiao Yao. Dude, that guy just went to sleep while Chang Xuan went around taking revenge for Xiao Yao and Xiang Liu sacrificing his life to save Xiao Yao's. When CX and XL were out doing whatever they could to keep Xiao Yao alive, this guy given up. How this guy is the perfect match, baffles me.

All in all, the plot turned out to be pretty good - the politics, the fight scenes, the story behind every character, the different clans and kingdoms - I love them all. Just the romance - not my cup of tea.

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So boring, there's no way to salvage this drama

What a huge disappointment. You would think having a strong cast would somewhat give you an assurance that the drama will be good. This drama is by far Dilraba's worst. And I don't mean to pinpoint her. It's just that I've been following all her dramas, I thought this would be good but the plot is so disappointing, no great acting can salvage this.

The drama is so draggy, I can't even sit through one episode without falling asleep or skipping scenes. To be honest, the plot doesn't make a lot of sense to me either. There is no excitement, very forceful scheming and poorly executed villains.

Anle who meant to be taking revenge, spent most of her time just sitting around waiting for the emperor to apologize. Then you have Han Ye who would follow around Anle like a sad puppy, simply too nice to the point I sometimes forgot his character is meant to be smart. You also see An Ning who is supposed to be this princess-general, spending most of her time drunk and upset instead of battling at the field. The only somewhat acceptable character in this drama is Luo Ming Xi, contributing to 60% of my 7.0 rating for Acting/Cast.

Again, I really can't express enough how disappointed I am with this drama. This was really one of the most highly anticipated drama of the year for me - good summary plot, good cast, good visuals. I honestly do not understand how the screenwriter could mess up this bad.

People please, don't bother wasting your time watching this drama. It's not worth the time.

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I really wish they had done better

I had high hopes for this drama. For one, Shin Hye Sun is one of my favourite actresses. Also, the plot sounded very interesting. Unfortunately, it became one of those dramas that spent too much time on unnecessary details and missing the big plot.

Too much is going on. You have the mystery behind the accident (which took a couple of episodes to unveil by the way). Then you have that plot about how Ji Eum is not supposed to be near people from her past life because it is against nature, which also has been an ongoing topic or build up for a few episodes. Not to mention the romance story between the main characters. Don't get me wrong, I love the acting. The characters are quite well portrayed but if they are positioning this drama as a romance drama, shouldn't the male lead at lead look like he is romantic and in love? That was sort of lacking in my opinion.

After all the built up and all the suspense, as expected they started rushing in wrapping up all the different plots in the last two episodes. The big reveal of Ji Eum's 1st life was quite underwhelming. I thought the characters would have a deeper connection or relationship but it turned out to be a murder revenge. I wish they would expand a bit more on the story about the 1st life instead of spending so much time talking about the hotel, the accident and the evil family.

Aw man, I am quite disappointed with how it turned out. The ending few episodes got me skipping most parts.

Great idea, poor execution

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Well deserved ratings

This review is going to be a long one.

"Hidden Love" is one of those dramas that really deserve all the attention, popularity and love. Ever since the beginning of the drama, I knew it would be good just by looking at our two main actors - Lusi and Zhe Yuan. Everybody probably already know they are good at acting and it seems repetitive of me to always rave about their skills but they are so on point in this drama, I am blown away everytime I watch them.

Before this drama, I watched "Our Secret" (multiple times) and was really impressed with Zhe Yuan from there. It's quite rare to see actors who can portray such good expressions through their eyes. It's as though you could feel whatever he was feeling at that moment by just looking at his eyes. There are so many scenes I really, really love from Zhe Yuan in this drama.

1. When Jia Xu was sitting outside of Sang Zhi's house, starring into the sky. I immediately felt how burdened he was, lonely and just sad. He wasn't crying, his face was calm, but his eyes - you can feel how tired he was, trying to shoulder everything that is happening around him.

2. When Jia Xu opened the red packet Sang Zhi slipped in his pocket. This is another moment where he was feeling extremely tired and lonely, unwilling to go back to his hometown to face the gazillion problems waiting for him. When he opened the red packet and read this simple message from Sang Zhi, through his eyes, you can really feel how touched he was. The warmth that one simple message brought to him.

As for Lusi, it's no secret that she is a very happy-go-lucky kind of girl. Perhaps, even in real life, she seems like a person who would bring joy to the people around her. With dramas like this, I can imagine it'll be very difficult to portray this cute, innocent girl, without coming out as annoying. I've seen so many dramas where the female lead would always act cute and innocent but resulted in being cringy, annoying and (honestly) stupid. Lusi really has that capability to make you really like her without making you feel like she's forcing to be cute. Her character in this drama is someone who I really like, too. Protective, strong, well-loved and understanding. There are too many scenes from the drama I love with Sang Zhi in them but I guess my favourites are these:

1. When she confronted Sang Yan for hitting Jia Xu. She was unafraid to stand up for herself and for the people she love. The moment when she was trying so hard not to cry while telling Sang Yan that she wanted to cut contact with him was so impactful.

2. When she was in high school and cried the moment she saw her brother at the airport after thinking that Jia Xu had a girlfriend. Honestly, if you look at the scene, it's really not something we would cry about because she was just a kid who misunderstood her crush having another girlfriend. You can't even call that a "break up". But when she cried, it was so sad, you couldn't help but cry along with her.

On the topic of Sang Yan, I think I'll miss the siblings relationship more than Jia Xu - Sang Zhi relationship. The way Sang Zhi and Sang Yan interacted with each other are honestly so, so, so real and relatable. This is one of the best sibling-relationship I've ever watched in the drama land. They would fight like cats and dogs, most of the time they are incapable of speaking politely to each other, they complain to their parents about each other all the time, but when one of them is in trouble, the other person will always be there to support.

If I am to nitpick on one thing that I think probably is a bit off in my opinion, is when Sang Zhi and Jia Xu got together. It's really just a preference thing. After seeing how well Jia Xu treated Sang Zhi as a brother during the beginning of the drama, it's difficult to accept how he could switch from brother mode to I-love-you-only mode so quickly. I understand, Sang Zhi has obviously grown up and was treating him differently. It probably makes more sense to me if Jia Xu didn't treat Sang Zhi that well at the beginning. Instead of Sang Zhi's "second brother", if he was more like Sang Yan's friend, it'll probably be easier to accept how Jia Xu could change his feelings like that. I love the beginning parts more than the later episodes, to be honest. Probably also cause it reminds me of when I was a child and had a crush on my brother's friend, the whole concept seemed very relatable to me.

The OSTs. Oh gosh, the OSTs! They are so good. I feel like everytime when I was immersed in the drama and cried was 60% cause of the cast's acting, but 40% cause of the music accompaniment. My ultimate favourite song from the drama is Forever Star. When this song plays in the drama, I get the goosebumps, especially during the scene when Jia Xu opened Sang Zhi's red packet in the airport.

100% recommend this drama. It's really not the typical high school drama that is probably 70% cringe and 30% real story. This one has so many depth and layers to it that it really hits differently.

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Good but not great

Hmm... I don't quite like the drama but I don't hate it either. This is one of those dramas that focus a lot on the behind-the-scenes of a celebrity world (in this case influencer), the rich and the famous. To a certain degree, I am happy people are putting so much light into "what you see on social is really not the full truth" but at the same time, I find this narrative a little overused.

I agree, to this day, people are still obsessed over materialism, trying to reach for what other people have, but this kind of plot has been infused in way too many dramas in the modern world. It's to a point where I kind of guessed the ending.

The investment put into the set, costume, cast and production is really good. As expected with drama of this genre, they put a lot of thought into the fashion and makeup. I guess if you're into trends and fashion, this would be a pretty good inspiration.

The parts where I feel kind of "meh" is when the FL stood out of the crowd (several times) apparently "portraying authenticity" by standing her ground and not be bullied, only to end up catching the Prince Charming's attention. Pretty Cinderella in a place where she doesn't belong, sounds familiar isn't it? I find her contradicting herself pretty often too. She would voluntarily attend most of these social events where people she obviously dislikes would be present only to showcase her displeasure and disinterest at being there. It's as though she would purposely go to these events to pass a message, "You rich people are fake and think too highly of yourselves. I am a woman of strong principles who is real and different from all of you" and then catwalk out of the event venue.

Honest thoughts? Cool, yes. Overrated, also yes.

They were kind of hasty towards the end, too. This "-bbbfamous" was built up from the beginning of the drama. You would think it is someone very important or familiar, expecting a major plot twist only to reveal a very minor character. The message I've gotten out of this plot is pretty thought provoking though. These haters behind the screen, how twisted their minds must be to care so much about a stranger, putting so much effort, energy and time just to hate a person. The lives they live and the things that they go through, for them to create so much negativity in their heads, must be horrible. The fact that people find more comfort in bringing other people down than rooting for the people near them is quite scary.

I like the message they are trying to bring out but it's quite mediocre in general

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Nice, short drama

If you have time to spend and you just want something lighthearted to watch, this might be the drama for you. I rate this drama a 6 not because it's bad, the story is quite well rounded, the cast blended well with each other and the pacing is pretty good.

However, "nice and lighthearted", that's the most this drama has achieved. If you're looking for a drama with some plot twist, challenging personalities, there is really not much to look at in this drama. The villain is simply a villain from the start. The rich CEO is just a rich CEO with typical CEO-attitude. Plain and simple, that's how I would describe the characters and the story. Not much depth or complexity put into it which is perfectly fine but is not really the type of drama I would remember or even rewatch.

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Just another drama with endless tears

This is another drama that starts off great but progress so slowly that it loses the plot. Don't get me wrong, the concept is great but the amount of back and forth is a bit too much. You know those typical dramas where the couple would end up together and be separated only to get back together again? Yeah, this is one of those. There always be something that keeps the couple apart and their relationship is always short-lived.

To be honest, after watching so many dramas, I'm actually bored of female characters who are loyal and the type who would sacrifice anything for the greater good. This has been the theme for many xianxia dramas that it has become slightly mainstream to me. I was actually expecting a slightly more unique character for Bai Lu but her character in this drama turned out to be a little underwhelming for me.

However, there is one thing that was quite touching to me in this drama. I like how they went all the way back to when Tantai Jin was still just a mortal and the cruelty he had gone through throughout his life. Although it was his fate to be the devil but he wasn't born evil. Circumstances that made him live only to survive had shaped him into a person that hated the world. This part of the plot felt very strong for me.

All in all, it is a drama worth watching. All the actors were great and have amazing chemistry. If only the story wasn't that draggy I would have rated the drama an 8.

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The season 2 syndrome

Is it just me or there are many dramas that are exceptional ended up setting the bar a bit too high in season 1 and not really delivering the same effect in season 2? I call it the season 2 syndrome. I love Taxi Driver season 1 and I think they should have stopped there but I'm not really complaining either with the drama continuing.

I was still hooked throughout the drama and really anticipated for new episodes every week, but I wasn't obsessed with it. At least not as much as the season 1.

The stories or cases that are featured throughout the season 2 were actually all quite interesting. I like how they are filled with plot twists and action but the fact that they are tied together under the same organization, seemed a bit forceful for me. I appreciate how they built the entire thing up to be this organization controlling multiple illegal counterparts and eventually breaking apart as the taxi team expose them one by one. Interesting, good plot, but doesn't really quite make sense to me. For one, how is it that every single case that the taxi team had gotten consecutively (as far as I can see) are all connected? Isn't that too much of a coincidence? Plus, apart from a few cases, there weren't a lot of communication between those wrongdoers with the main organization.

However, I did enjoy the whole drama and the cases (individually) are all very interesting. I like the one that actually took a jab at the Burning Sun scandal. When I see the drugged girl case and the celebrity, immediately I sensed a connection. I think that was pretty smart.

Overall, if you like stories with the anti-hero theme, this is quite a good one. Not impressive but pretty good. If you had watch season 1 but don't feel like watching season 2, I actually don't think you're missing out a lot either. I won't say there is a continuation from season 1 strong enough to warrant a "must watch".

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A different kind of drama

This drama deserves to be put in a category on its own. It's definitely not a romance drama, it doesn't really revolve around one family drama either and it's not exactly a law & investigation drama.

The story is so well laid out that there is really nothing much to complain. While watching, you will be put into a different perspective towards divorce. Yes, divorce in general is not exactly a good thing but it's sometimes necessary and essential for the betterment of the couple (and their kids).

Each character is portrayed so well, I really think this is the best cast they could put together for this drama. The evil stepmother is evil enough to get on your nerves. The cool uncle's love towards his nephew is so touching, it really beats your typical romance drama. I love the parts where he would swallow back his tears because he felt so bad for his nephew. The two little boys are very good in their characters as well - both very cute and very talented child actors.

Although I love the story and I love the cast, but it is definitely not a drama you'd watch over and over again. It was nice to watch but not addictive. Highly recommend for first timers.

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This is one of those dramas that started off great and it goes downhill from there. If I split it in parts, there are some parts which I absolutely love but the parts that are done poorly are too glaring to ignore.

So the drama started off with a built up story about Xiao Duo's journey to revenge his twin brother. You become invested in the whole revenge plot only to be distracted by the evil (and crazily obsessed) emperor. There are so many moving parts that everything ends up losing its meaning because it was only good at the build up.

Let's talk about the story. I wish they stick with the revenge plot until the end because they have done such a good job building the foundations about it at the beginning. You have this mystery villain that is difficult to catch, empress in the palace who is power crazy and greedy ministers. That is like a perfect formula to a good, big, dramatic revenge story. Instead, they have wasted the potential of these characters with poorly developed story plot. The three villains are not really that bright after all. They seem to always be losing which makes you wonder how they survived that long. Xiao Duo's determination to revenge seems minuscule towards the end because he was so focused on Bu Yin Lou.

They did a good job building the emperor's character from this cowardly weakling who wants nothing to do with the court to a crazy, evil and obsessed emperor, still a coward though. If they had focused on that from the beginning instead of pushing us to be invested in Xiao Duo's revenge, it would have been a solid story.

The flow of the whole drama is so horrible, it's difficult to like the drama. This is how I feel throughout the drama:
1. The grand starting with introduction to Xiao Duo as this powerful eunuch in the palace and Bu Yin Lou as this smart lady who does a good job surviving in whatever difficult situation she is in. The emperor (useless 'huang ye' at that time) seemed to indicate some serious drama is coming. I was excited to see how the revenge plot develops and how Xiao Duo plots all his chess pieces in the palace.

2. I became fond of Xiao Duo's relationship with his subordinates and his cold attitude. The way both him and Yin Lou got closer together is very natural, too. The emperor's obsession with Yin Lou was starting to become annoying because the reason he "fell in love" with Yin Lou was quite forced and it's starting to take the spotlight away from the revenge. Love at first sight, sure but the obsession is farfetched in my opinion.

3. Then you have the romance scenes which is very choppily edited in my opinion. I understand the censorship but it is very badly edited. The revenge comes to an end with great disappointment. The three villains are really easy to defeat and because of the emperor's plot, this revenge has already lost its meaning.

4. Don't get me started on the ending. I have no idea why the scriptwriter would write an ending like that, but at that point, I'm just glad that the drama is finally ending. The drama became draggy with all those failed attempts at escaping, it's like an end to this never ending loop with that final episode. I was starting to become frustrated with this constant attempt to save Yin Lou out of the palace when to be honest, the emperor is not really that difficult to kill. With Xiao Duo's connections and network, it's not difficult to kidnap Yin Lou out of the palace and hide her in a place where the emperor can't reach. The ending without a proper closure is like a cherry on top.

Overall, I really think the story needs a lot of tightening. I like how all the main characters are portrayed, though. They seem to have some good chemistry, too. What a waste, the story is underwhelming.

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Interesting story, underwhelming cast

Before starting the review, I want to emphasize that while I do lean towards certain actors or actresses when I dramas to watch but I am not biased when it comes to good / bad acting.

This is a very real insight into the IT industry in today's world. When you're behind the trend, you lose. When you don't understand the audience (in different industries) well enough to cater your product to fulfil their needs, you lose. When you do not have connections, you don't get a head start. Sad, but that's true. I love the progression of this drama. They brought us back to where it all began - university. This is another true scenario. If you see yourself as a kid who is just attending university to get a degree and earn credits enough to get yourself into the job industry, that is a very old-fashioned thinking. University is where people should get themselves equipped with not just academics but connections and experiences enough to get yourself a good start in the job industry (or even get a job at all). I like how the scriptwriter perfectly categorised these different types of people in university.

The story just made sense to me. Whether or not you're a person with natural talent or just a person who is so-so, the decisions that you make will eventually lead you into different pathways. Li Xun and Gao Jian Hong are your perfect example. This is why the story deserves a solid 8.

However, there are parts where I don't quite like or think the drama is lacking.

1. The female lead. I don't dislike the character but this actress is honestly not portraying the character well enough. Is it just me or the female character has a problem showing expressions? She doesn't look angry when she's supposed to, she doesn't look sad when she's supposed to. When she makes eye contact with the male lead, she is just staring at the male lead, but there is no emotion to it. She is quite stiff overall and I don't know about you, but I can't connect with the female lead character at all. In fact, I think the actress playing Ren Di does better than her.

2. How the story ended with no conclusion on Zhu Yun's parents' approval. So do the parents approve the relationship or not? They highlighted the parents' disapproval multiple times throughout the drama, I am assuming that their approval is very important and if you're heading towards a happy ending for the couple, shouldn't there be a firm conclusion to what the parents actually think?

3. You know how there's one part where Li Xun went to jail because he blinded Fang Zhi Jing. First of all, for a villain like him, why is he only imprisoned in the end? Also, his eye looked perfectly fine to me. Small detail but it kind of bothered me during the drama.

Overall, it is a good story. I like the progression but there are too many areas that are lacking. The chemistry between the characters are not exactly off the charts either. Highly recommend to watch but this is definitely not the kind of drama you'd get withdrawals after it's over.

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Kind of meh to me

Hmm... I don't know where to begin. I don't hate this drama but at the same time, this drama doesn't really stick to me. I love the CG effects, I love the setups and also the outfits but that's kind of it. The story is not bad, I think the scriptwriter did a good job on storytelling the whole twin background, but it's not impressive at all.

Again, this is one of those dramas with never ending resurrections, rising from the dead, plot twists with final redemptions. Probably after watching a few too many dramas of those sort, I am starting to be numb to all these "plot twists". They probably should have stuck with one thing or another - either kill the character off or don't kill the character.

The main characters do not really have good chemistry in my opinion. They seem okay as individuals but when grouped together, there is no chemistry. You know, in some dramas, the main characters vibe so well with the people around them that you enjoy their scenes with their family or good friends in the drama? This drama is definitely lacking in that area. Even the romance chemistry between the main characters seem a bit off. Perhaps the actors are not really experienced? I don't know. I just can't emotionally connect with these characters.

Overall, I did finish the drama. It was kind of a good "background" drama too. Something you put on TV and just let it play in the background.

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