Refreshingly Delicious Palace Drama

With a title that included the word delicacies, I was happy to feast my eyes on all the food related shots from preparation to cooking to eating!

This palace drama was different from the usual back stabbing and plotting ones I have watched in the past and it was a breath of fresh air for me. Instead you got supportive king and queen who didn’t make a fuss when they realised their son was falling in love with the female chef. And the usual sibling rivalry was replaced by supportive siblings be it the brothers or even the sister.

Romance was sweet and I felt it more from the ML who was good at expressing his shyness and love much better than the FL.

I watch this on Disney+ and was confused with Episode 17 which was labelled as an alternative ending but all the scenes shown in that extra episode was already shown earlier. Probably some editing issues as Episode 16 itself showed 2 different endings which boggled me and left me without a proper closure.

A simple drama that you will enjoy if you like food, a touch of romance and rarely found supportive royal family dynamics.

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Was that the end?

My first time finishing an enjoyable drama with this question as the closing credits continued on instead of the “next episode” button. Partially due to my expectation of Kdramas containing at least 16 episodes but mainly because I felt these were so many loose threads hanging in the air.

Why did the grandfather suddenly consent in the end? No follow through on how the rumours of them dating played out - did running away to the US solve everything? Second FL’s relationship with the father just ends like that? Engaged for a year and no sign of marriage?

Such a pity to end the drama this way.

Other than the last episode, I generally enjoyed this cute romcom as the story telling was a fresh take on the classic rich-guy poor-girl romance. I liked how both couples acknowledged their feelings and got together relatively early without too much misunderstandings or annoying drawn-out love triangles. Kisses were not too stingy and the couples even slept together so this drama should satisfy those looking for a fair bit of romance in their drama.

There’s talk about some additional episodes so hopefully I’ll get my questions answered then but as it stands, my low rating reflects my personal dislike of dramas with rushed endings or unanswered questions.

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Emotionally charged historical journey

The first few episodes were a bit of hit and miss for me as the sets did not look realistic enough and the acting was a bit stiff. Stick with it and you’ll soon be rewarded with nicer looking sets, mesmerising costumes and an engaging storyline as the romance starts building up.

It was interesting to see that most of the villains were not totally evil and had their own reasons for their actions and that they too had their own suffering. Because the drama is set over many decades, you could also see some characters going through many different changes, some for the better and some for the worst. While I hated Princess Ya, her heart-to-heart talk with Hao Lan and her love realisation in the end touched me.

I also enjoyed the many reveals throughout showed which gave an insight into how clever some of the characters were especially Lv Buwei, Hao Lan and Prince Yiren. They not only worked together towards a common goal but also did their fair share of baiting each other for different purposes (eg putting a hole in the Queen’s bedroom so she would have to stay at the King’s palace and she leaving the palace knowing he would come after her to bring her back). Even villains like the evil Zhao Queen was captivating as she understood so much more than the Zhao King and executed so many smart moves.

It’s a man’s world… such a sad underlying theme that many of female characters lamented. Although noble by birth or living as a princess, consort or queen, it was heart breaking to see how they were not happy primarily because of the many restrictions they faced and how their destiny was controlled by men in power.

The more I got pulled into this drama, the more emotional I got whenever I heard the opening theme song. Despite not understanding the lyrics, I teared up every time I heard the sad melody and haunting vocals.

One of the best writing in this drama was when Lv Buwei had his final conversation with the King of Qin. One of the most memorable (and frustrating) moment for me is how the King of Qin settled things on his own leading to Hao Lan misunderstanding him. I felt so sad for her as she was not able to get proper closure.

When the drama continued on with Hao Lan’s son ascending the throne, it became less engaging for me but still ok as I was curious to see how closely the story would follow the historical records.

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Lopsided Love

Perhaps this was THE drama to watch back in 2010 but watching it now more than a decade later, I was much less entertained with this drama compared to Crash Landing On You.

With CLOY, I could see and understand the budding romance between the leads although there were more reasons for the FL to fall in love with the ML.

With SG, it was clear to see that why the ML fell in love with the FL but I am struggling to understand how she fell in love with him when he constantly talked down to her and humiliated her.

The story was interesting in itself and the body swaps were well done. So I just had to keep ignoring the nagging feelings I had about “why does she love him?” in order to enjoy the drama. I’ve come to expect a little twist at the end of Korean dramas and this drama didn’t disappoint with its touching version.

Both leads acted well which kept me watching particularly the ML with his internal struggles of trying to figure out why he is attracted to the FL. The FL was a cool stuntwoman character and seeing her in action was very believable. Another plus point was seeing the ML looking so young after seeing his more mature self in CLOY. Definitely prefer him older with a squarer jawline. His younger self was the typical skinny pretty boy look which I am not keen on especially when he was wearing his designer track suits.

At times, I wished the FL would end up with Oska as he clearly treated her so much better all the time. But I knew it was wishful thinking since he is not the ML. Thankfully, it wasn’t written as a love triangle and Oska had his own love interest.

If you’re after a more balanced relationship in your romance drama, it’s best to look elsewhere.

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Disjointed happy ending

These 2 short episodes are purely meant to give some feel good vibes as there is not much continuity or explanation on how the characters found their happy endings.

The ML and FL are suddenly alive and living a loving life with this son…

Would have been better to have a proper full length episode at the end of Part 2 to show how they got to their happy endings instead of releasing these 2 short special episodes later on. Momentum and continuity is lost.

Overall the drama is only average and pales in comparison with the lead’s previous dramas, ie Ashes of Love and Love and Redemption. Better to invest your time in Blue Whisper which I have just starting watching and it is mesmerising so far!

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Understanding, Caring, Supportive Romance

Back to my first love - wuxia and this drama ticks most of what I love about this genre. Gorgeous costumes and breathtaking martial arts.

Story wise, it was good with some interesting little reveals but did not tug at my heartstrings like Untamed or Ten Miles of Peach Blossom. What I enjoyed most was their positive relationship where there was little misunderstandings and hardly any jealousy or love triangles. Both leads were strong characters that helped and supported each other.

Unfortunately, other parts of the story seemed a bit lacking. One annoying one was when someone was assumed to have killed another person just because she was the last one to have met that person… it didn’t matter that these 2 persons were in a close relationship and there was no motive for the murder…

Overall a decent watch if you’re a wuxia fan and have already seen all the popular ones.

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Not as lighthearted as the synopsis promised

After finishing Mr Sunshine, my shattered heart was in need of a lighthearted romantic drama and I thought I found that in this one. I was wrong.

Overall, the story was interesting as a normal drama - nothing fantastic but nothing annoying. But definitely not the “Princess Diaries” feel that I was expecting.

The middle of the drama got quite dark and had lots of sacrifice with tears and assassins when I was looking for more comedy and common girl-to-princess transformation. So do take note of this and perhaps you will end up less disappointed than I was after finishing this drama.

It ended happily and on a light hearted note but could have been more satisfying if it was longer and had more substance.

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Captivating start but…

it ended not just without an ending but with a feeling of sadness. A double whammy of dislikes for me.

Had the beginning episodes not been so engaging, my rating for this drama would have been lower. The story starts off very strong at episode 1 and I was hooked especially with the dark feel of this drama. So much intrigue and seeing the assassins smartly make their moves kept me glued to my screen. My rating at this point was a 9.

When the ML had his 3 trials, I was fascinated as the storyline on this trials was not what I was expecting as I thought the trials would be more physically related. The chemistry between the leads was nice enough and I enjoyed watching the FL being so dark and serious unlike in her previous drama where she was naive and chirpy.

While having touches of humour are a good idea, I did not appreciate the extreme and absurd way one of the female characters was written. Her over exaggerated movements and lustfulness was too much of a jarring contrast to the overall tone of this drama.

Quite a lot of the story is told in flashback style to give us lots of aha moments so you’ll have to be patient as certain parts of the story are left hanging and makes you wonder if it will be answered later on or become a plot hole. Lots of death and this drama seems to focus on making it as sad and drawn out as possible so it got a bit tiring when it overdid it.

The reveal at the end was good and seeing the whole family come together and that they had each other’s back was one of the highlights. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of how the drama went a step further and made the ending open ended and sad.

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Slow slow pacing . . .

The last few episodes were quite painful to watch as the pacing slowed down to a crawl especially during the climax when the Emperor was being forced to abdicate. Thankfully, it ended very happily for the main couple.

The overall look and feel of the drama was great with nice sets and beautiful costumes with layers of rich fabric. But it suffered mostly due to the draggy pacing. The chemistry between the leads was ok for me but I much preferred the cute romance between the FL’s servant and the ML’s assistant. Not a fan of the slow way that the ML spoke and conducted himself even in private - a bit too reserved for my liking. The FL was pleasant enough but some of her emotional scenes did not tug at my heartstrings.

Luckily I didn’t know much about the story so the twist with the princess was a nice surprise for me. But as the story progressed, I still could not understand the motivations behind her evil actions. Was she really so 2-faced from young or is there a person who can actually be so kind and evil at the same time? I could see how her early suffering could lead her to wanting revenge (which she did get) but I failed to see how it led to her ambitions to take the throne. It all felt very forced since it wasn’t properly fleshed out.

The best part of this drama for me was the first few episodes and the happy ending in the last episode.

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Lovely romance of a married couple

So nice to see a romance start with a couple that is married and see them still in love and comfortable with each other. A nice change from the usual slow burn attraction that takes places over many episodes with a big dash of misunderstandings and jealousies.

And to make it better, there was a unique storyline behind the butterfly curse and the second couple was also interesting to watch! No super evil villain, just a little humour with a disgruntled father. No jealousies.

Loved both couples and their chemistry. The ladies were pretty and the men were handsome so watching this drama was a joy.

Do give this a go if you’re in the mood for romance right from episode 1.

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Sweet romance, comedy and tears

Having 2 sisters betrothed to princes in 2 different realms made for a very interesting start to this drama as the story flips between the Heavenly Realm, all white & bright and the Void Realm, all dark & dreary.

Loved the romance for both couples with the classic misunderstandings done well. The sidekicks for each couple provided lovely touches of humour as they were quick to realise the romance blooming and called it out to their respective masters who were in denial.

Kudos to the female lead who made me feel her grief so deeply that I cried every time she cried. The male lead’s acting shone much more when playing the 3 versions of himself in the Mortal Realm. Watching all 3 versions of him falling in love with the female lead exceeded my romance expectations from a drama. In essence, I got to watch 5 romances in total when most dramas only have 2 (main couple and second couple).

I enjoyed the overall story telling where there were happy outcomes throughout (eg the couples acknowledging and accepting each other and the Emperor of the Human Realm’s love for the female lead) instead of only having everything come together at the end of a drama.

Unfortunately, the ending’s storyline wasn’t my cup of tea as some parts felt more like fillers. Would have been better to cut that away to make way for a nice sweet happy ending instead of leaving it to our imagination.

Extra notes:
1. Good to see gravity working correctly here where the clothes flow upwards when they are “landing” unlike in some dramas that I watched in the past.
2. Annoying to see the bright light during the sweet kiss scenes.

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A love so deep, tender and touching…

… that my tears are still flowing as I type this review. This is a love story that not just tugs at my heart strings but wrenches it as much as it makes it flutter and soar.

The ML was phenomenal and I loved all his different faces. Cool and rigid as the emotionless Moon Supreme. Girly when he switched bodies. Puzzled as he starts figuring out love. Pained as he regains his emotions and understands his past. Caring when he was in love. Happy and playful when he was sharing sweet moments in his dreamworld.

One of the best paced story telling I’ve seen for a xanxia. The story itself was also very good with a good amount of twists and reveals without overdoing the jealousies. “2 sides to a coin” - this drama handled this very well especially in showing how people are not evil in the Moon Tribe. All the reveals behind all the “evil” actions made my heart break repeatedly.

Obsession leads to chaos. I kept asking myself why RongHao had to do what he did. On one hand, I understood his obsession. And on the other hand, I kept wishing he would be righteous enough not to carry out his plans. Such a grey character which provided the right level of adversities for the main couple to overcome.

While not the best, the costumes, sets and props were good enough to tell the story. Don’t get caught up with some of the minor little details and you could love this as much as than Ten Miles of Peach Blossom.

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Bittersweet love story beautifully told in a movie

The ML was in his forte not only playing a footloose and carefree teenager falling in love but a desirable and seductive male gisaeng. Watching him dance to entertain his clients made me wish I was there in person!

Costumes, props and sets were realistic and transported you back in time to Joseon. Scenery was gorgeous as well and it was a visual feast for the eyes. Story was pretty simple so you could focus on the romance and had its trademark Korean touch of a bittersweet ending with a little twist.

A good watch when you don’t have the time to invest in a multi-episode drama and want a little romance fix with a tinge of sadness. Pom Rak Khun is my takeaway from this movie.

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Touching on so many levels

The way the relationship changed and grew between the ML and FL tugged at my heartstrings and so much was conveyed with just the way they looked at each other. Superb acting and brilliant writing!!

Some of the side stories were interesting particularly the one with Jeong Hui and the one with the loan shark. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect much with the one involving the actress and found myself skipping those scenes. Without that side story, my rating would have been higher.

Cinematography and music suited the sentimental mood of this slice of life drama. I could understand the struggles of the ML and his wife and I am glad to see the story showed the wife’s view as well and how she tried to make amends with it. Realistically painful especially when they talked honestly with each other. I appreciated how the story refrained from going down the usual drama route of dragging on misunderstandings by lying or hiding the truth.

This was truly a case of melodrama done right.

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Romance with action right up my alley!

The beginning started out a bit boring as they fleshed out the different characters individually. But it soon got exciting for me as I enjoyed the interactions between Healer, his hacker handler and the FL.

The acting was great for so many of the characters but the standout for me was Ms Jo who was this quirky hacker who makes gimbabs and also knits all while keeping an eye on the various screens in front of her! Her conversations with the ML are hilarious as she doesn’t hold back, frequently calling him a mutt!

The ML was cool in the way he manages to carry out his various jobs, nimbly climbing up walls and effortless taking down many bad guys - the stunt work was good and choreography of the fighting scenes well done. His acting was very good especially seeing him switch between his real self and his bumbling assistant reporter disguise. His chemistry with the FL was wonderful and their love was beautiful to watch.

Style of cinematography and choice of music was not as good as the more recent dramas but if you can overlook that (considering it is 8 years old), this is a good drama that has a nice romance with some great action sequences.

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