Reviews

This drama started off pretty promising. The story was fast paced and well acted. However the last 10-15 episodes were draggy and frustrating. This drama should have ended at the most 35 episodes. Then it would be a perfect drama. The chemistry between the main actors were good.
Luckily Zhang Han is in it to help me finished the drama. Otherwise I would have dropped this drama in the middle. The writer was a bit brain dead towards to end. The plots and twists at the last quarters of the drama were torturing and not entertaining. At least it was a happy ending as a consolation.
They have good casts to keep this drama going. Otherwise it will be a waste of time watching it.

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uhhh

Well, I'm sure there's a storyline up in here somewhere. If you can find it you could quite possibly enjoy it. I was so impressed with 2020's Filipino BL's I had to watch this and even though there were others just as short, this was definitely a flop. Everything was tossed around and not much of anything went with itself lol There didn't seem to much chemistry between the MC which usually has a negative impact on any series.
Definitely don't recommend to BL newbies nor do I plan to recommend it to anyone. I'm so confused I'm not even sure if it even had potential. Obviously, the show being short doesn't help but....eh.

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fluffy and light

As much as this drama got promoted, I wasn't expeciting anything groundbreaking. The premise is simple and school setting is nothing new.

The story hits all the expected spots and is well-paced. However it ends up being a victim to common webdrama tropes and cliche. The leads' acting was decent enough to overlook how cheesy this whole thing is. At the same time it's a shame such well-produced drama with actual budget is just another forgettable fare.
The story it bit juvenile, there isn't really much of character developement. Apart from second male lead everyone retains their high school attitude and carries it into their adult life. The 'current time' plot seemed to be underdeveloped, as if it was an afterthought.
The male lead did a good job acting, and I was looking forward to see him after his role in 'Single & Ready to Mingle'. Female lead's acting is okay, especially given it's her first acting I don't have much complaints. The chemistry between them was bit lacking though.

OST is full of known names. The songs are actually good and suit the webdrama. The sheer amount of songs made it seem like it was OST for 16eps drama. The music is one big plus this drama has, even though the whole "school band" theme is somewhat under-developed.

Overall, it's a barely average drama. It might cheer you up on a rainy day but won't change your life. It's an easy watch with a decent production value, but overall it's nothing to write home about.

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Sexual Education & Product Placement

Always eager to watch romcom that test some boundaries I watched Love and Leashes until the very end. I saw the FL/ML frolicking on a comfy bed; she with Timotei wavy hair, he with a cutie pie smile on his face uttering "Saranghaeyo Ju-in", and I just sat there on my couch, thinking WHAT?!

Story
I THOUGHT I was going to see an office romcom with two colleagues exploring their sexual wishes, a BDSM version of the wonderful phonesex romcom Whatcha' Wearin? (2012). I expected they would use the Korean office hierarchy as the perfect breeding ground for humiliation kinks, but what I SAW was a sexual education class; a BDSM kiddy version with commercial incentives. This time no rings, shoes or designer bags, but collars, dildos, candles, leashes. I do admire the Korean business attitude, but really, I expected less toys, more arthouse, and creative kinkiness.

The Good
Love & Leashes isn't romcom, it's a warm and sweet opinion on sexual self-exploration. Ji-woo does research on the internet, and the audience looks over her shoulder. Kinks are explained in voice-overs, distinctions are made between D/S and SM play, we see the use of safe words, aftercare, and the whole shebang.

The Bad
What I personally wanted to see though, is the BDSM psychology. What makes it good to feel pain, why do people love to bound someone literally, is BDSM in our nature or is it nurture? There were some hints to the answers, but not much, and not really funny.

Overall
BDSM can be interpreted in romcom style, and there are good examples from more than 20 years ago. Try Pedro Almodóvar's "Tie me Up! Tie Me Down" (1989) with young Antonio Banderas; or Secretary (2002). The only newness I could find in Love and Leashes was that it is Korean, with product placements in style.

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What an emotional roller coaster! Having just finished, here is my review:

This story explores two primary romance plots with several sub plots woven in. The overall theme of the story is that of soul mates, and love surviving even death.

What I Liked:
I deeply enjoyed the layered relationships of BQ. The relationship with her mentor is central to the story as is her relationship with his twin, Ye Hua. Through these relationships the female lead explores many different levels of emotion. We see a youthful side when she is a student; then as an adult she becomes more closed off in order to guard her feelings. BQ is an extremely capable woman, the leader of the foxes as its queen, but she values relationships the most and struggles with forgiving wrongs. She is fair but also not one to suffer an insult; she dishes out double what is served to her. Ye Hua is obedient to his grandfather as he is the heir however his one act of defiance--falling in love with a mortal (BQ, forced to leave as a mortal with no memory of being a goddess) creates a ton of complicated problems. this story reflects their very complicated journey.

What I Loved:
the second love story features BQ's niece, Fengjiu, an impulsive and romantic red fox (the only one of her kind) who seeks to repay Donghua, a god as old as time with no parents (he just sprang into being). He also has no emptions and no interest in anyone or anything. I enjoyed their love story more than the main, perhaps because their obstacles seemed to be insurmountable. These two, it seems, have no fate together. Even BQ is fated to be with YH. Their story follows Fenjius efforts to gain Donghua's love and is just as complicated as BQ/YH.

What I also Liked:
This drama's villains are not as obvious as other shows. Yes there were living people but it seemed that one of the biggest villains in the show were things that you have no control over (fate) or things designed to protect others (rules). The rigid rules of the celestial court proved time and time again to undermine these people. And fate, well...who can go up against that?

My favorite living villain?
Undoubtedly Xuan Nu beause I thought she had a lot of depth.

What would I like to see:
If anyone sees my posts or discussion boards, or reads my episode views, they know that I am an enormous fan of DH/FJ. I have read this dramas sequel (the pillow book) and would be very happy if they made it into a show. If that doesn't happen, at least the novel exists.

Final Words (acting)
I think that the cast did a great job. Every actor was perfect in their role and I don't think anyone would have been better in their roles. I know a lot of people were drawn to YH but...the gent who played DH is my favorite. I do think, however, that the young woman who played BQ hands down wins for best actress and overall did a wonderful job as BQ. Of course, because I am biased, the actress who plays FJ is my favorite however her character, I think, might be easier to play.

I did not give this show a perfect 10 because some parts dragged, and some parts I sped through a little. But most of the show I watched. I recommend it to anyone interested in dramatic stories with great dialogue, great action, good acting, and a deep appreciation for the melodramatic (because this show uses almost every plot device that one might see in a daytime soap)

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Joy of Life is one of the best dramas I've watched. It has a unique combination of excellent story, characters, casting, acting, production, and writing all mixed together into a delicious drama-slurry.

Regarding the writing/plotting, the show starts out lightheartedly as we are introduced to the characters (there's a child actor in the first episode who's simply delightful). The first half of the season contains most of the more humorous moments but they remain to lighten the mood through the rest of the episodes as well. There is a fun blend of action/fighting scenes (which are generally well done with believable effects) and political maneuvering (which occupies most of the show). The political intrigue is well crafted and most developments are believable and fit together effectively. The dialogue is generally well done and scenes are edited together cleverly to tell the story. There is also an overlaying element of sci fi, which while not crucial to this season would be expected to become more important in future seasons.

Regarding the acting and casting, the performances are overall excellent. The main character is portrayed excellently. Most of the time he presents an intelligent and charming exterior but the viewer really gets a sense of his moral compass. The main character has several emotional and powerful scenes which are all very well done. The supporting cast are also excellent, with standout performances for the Intelligence Director, the Emperor, the MC's sister, and Duo Duo. The remainder of the cast is also high quality--I can't think of any characters that are miscast, and even the only character I disliked (Yan Bing Yun) felt as though he was purposefully portrayed as dislikable.

The only criticism I have is the ending, which is a pretty severe cliffhanger. I will not deduct points for this as there is a planned second (and hopefully third) season; however, if those fall through and the followup seasons never materialize I will be quite despondent indeed. And if there are followup seasons made, I very much hope that the director can reassemble as much of this cast as possible.

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ENEMIES TO LOVERS TO LOVE TRIANGLE

See what happens when you give a korean bl proper episodes and good run time you ger excellence. Light on me has to be the best kbl we've ever gotten and i mean it.

The story of taekyung, shinwoo and daon is the by far the best thinh ive seen ever. The love triangle and a dash of enemies to lovers is something i lost my find when watching. I won't go into detail about why this show is 10/10 it just is.

Shin woo star of the show, he captured so many peoples hearts from the beginning to the Point you'd fly over to Korea just to give him a hug. Taekyung is such a fantastic person in a way that hes fully honest and sure it may come off insulting to most i respect how much he values his own opinion of himself over others. Daon is also fascinating, you get this sweet and popular guy who just doesn't want to disappoint anyone, it takes a tole on him when watching the show but eventually he finds himself.

The girl lead idk what to say about her lets just say she's there. Namgung such a star i want nothing but the world for him. Bless his Heart.

Overall this is what kbl is supposed to be like not 10 min episodes that barelu scrap a persons personality. Anyway hope you found this review helpful and it's been 8 glorious and also painful weeks but worth it.

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Beautiful little drama

A Lovely warm and uplifting little drama. The Male lead was beautiful. It is the first drama with Lu Si that I thought she looked good in. Her acting has certainly matured ironically, in a youthful role. It was a heart warming story of love and loyalty. It is my First drama with The Male Lead playing Xiang and what a treat that was. He is exquisite. His role was very touchng and honest. He is swoonworthy. A Nice story of a supprtive family unlike the usual tyranny that often exists in Asian Dramas. LuSi's character was wonderful. Her loyalty and committment to Xiang was truly wonderful. Her acting was good and her character was excellent. She moved through the different stages of her life beautifully. Excellent though she was He stole the drama for me. Perfection.

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DEFINITELY A RECOMMENDATION

this drama has my heart. the story line is so good as well as the drama itself. The characters are really good looking as well which captures attention wanting to watch it!


it’s honestly such a cute drama with a bit of suspiciousness as a lot of stuff is happening when it gets to the middle of the kdrama. whoever sees this review I definitely recommend watching this if u have nothing to watch or are looking to watch something in general. this kdrama will straight away capture ur attention when u watch through it.

also the first episode may not be as good but I promise u it’s getsss wayyyyyy bettterrr I promise. because I was like that too when I first started it I got bored by the first episode but then I got addicted to it and still am!!

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this is the best version of boys over flowers since i watched the Korean version first i was a little bit biased and i have just started watching j drama this is in fact the third. but oh goody i loved it. Matsumoto jun is an amazing actor, i loved it. compared to boys over flowers it was more organized and well paced and i loved Rui's character in this one he was less sad basing on what i have seen so far i haven't watched part two yet. the owner of the cake shop was really...?? i am still wondering how old she was. i mean how many people could one person once have loved. if you have watched you know what i mean. IT WAS SUPERB

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When I first heard about this drama, I was kind of annoyed by the title. I mean, 'the girl who sees smells'? Didn't work for me at all - the title. I still prefer calling it sensory couple. Makes more sense (I swear no pun intended). But thankfully it's one of those never-judge-a-book-by-it's-cover dramas and it was good.

The story is a good one, it keeps you in suspense for a long time. But at the same time the conclusion is disappointing. It didn't get draggy for me, but it got a little predictable. I wish there was something more about Kwon Jae Hee's back story, his reasons. Something shocking, some kind of a connection that brought the whole story in a full circle. But it just fell flat in that department. There were cute scenes to devour and Officer Choi's comedy skit was hilarious. I still laugh.

Coming to characters, my favorite was Elena Vashilivnashivanova. Lol, okay. Just Kidding. But I liked her for someone who only appeared once (minus the contact log). I was so happy she was real! But I think my favorite was Lt Yeom. She was smart and beautiful. Her ideas were spot-on most of the time and I ended up loving her more than the main couple or any other character.

Yoo Chun and Shin Se Kyung. Like, what's with people hating on Shin Se Kyung all the time? I think she was great here. I mean, I guess she picked a lot of bad roles before and I've never watched them but they were just bad choices, doesn't make her a bad actor or anything. She did a good job here. Yoo Chun was great here, although I'm still hunting for a drama where he surpasses his role from Rooftop Prince. That one was epic.

The rest of the cast was great. The police force was a little incompetent at times but they got it going in the end and well, they were funny so I don't really dwell on their stupidity. As for Kwon Jae Hee. He was such a genius character in the beginning, but I just don't know what happened to his character in the last three episodes. I wish they'd done something more interesting about him.

The music was very cute. Especially that song called Confusing. It just calms my nerves whenever I listen to it in the car. Very soothing vocals.

Overall, everything about this drama simply shouts out 8. Amazing in some parts, disappointing in some parts but overall a drama I don't regret watching and looked forward to every week.

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Absolutely fell in love with this drama. It's not like any other K-Drama. Definitely on my top 5.

The story line itself is unique as it is based on the web-toon, but I think the writers and staff did a great job turning it into a drama. The story itself had the love story romance and a little comedy, but the twist of a lot of the character's personalities also made it a thriller. I also thought the acting by all the cast was just so realistic and professional. I haven't heard of many of these actors and actresses before, but they are now people that I am going to look out for in future dramas.

The music behind the story also fit in so well. It's not the typical high note, out of this world vocal with an intense orchestra playing in the background, but it's arguably the opposite. It's soothing, calm vocals accompanied with the acoustic piano and guitar. You can also get the comedy feel of the quirkiness of the background music as well. The music was one of the things that set this drama apart from others and also a factor into why I love this drama.

When the drama first came out, I re-watched the first 4 episodes over and over again because I couldn't wait to see the next episode a week later. It was that good to me. This is a drama that I will definitely re-watch and recommend to everyone.

I would also suggest reading the web-toon, which isn't finished yet. I think you can understand the characters more through the web-toon. You can especially learn more about Yoo Jung's character specifically. It's always good to read the original.

Cheese in the Trap, Fighting! ^.^

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