Reviews

Light hearted, lovely chemistry but not satisfying enough

The chemistry between 2 leads is really good. The story has a promising premise, and the drama is pretty interesting... But Just up to ep 20...

The unnecessary business politics takes up so much screentime. I need more romance of our leads.

Also, the chemistry in the friendship of Min Kyu and the Santa Maria team seems forced, many scenes seem so corny (for example where they all sit watching Aji-3 go outside for the first time)..., the Aji 3 character part is corny too...

The side couples romance is not that cute either... Welp... Except for the kinda villain couple, their chem is pretty good...

The ending seems rushed,... Haiz.... They could've added more cute moments for our main couples... Where is the wedding, the kids, the future life....

Chae Soobin and Seung ho's acting is good tho... I feel touching in the emotional parts... The break up scene between fml and her ex was good too... Also, this drama has the hottest kissing scene i've ever seen (kitchen ep).

But overall, the pacing of this drama is too slow for me, and how they solve conflict is... questionable... The acting saves the show tbh... Later on, they have nothing to add in the story and it's so dry... As someone said in the discussion, the ending seems like a totally different show, it lost its romcom charm, the potential i feel in the chemistry slowly fades... Like ML came back from military, they kiss, and boom, ending?? Wuttt??? They could have portrayed how different our couple is after they start dating, like, the arrogant guy become a total puppy or sth... Loll... At least that what i wanna see

Also, a random useless rant, no one in this drama actually speaks good English lol, including the intelligent robot...

I enjoyed it anyway.... Chae soobin is soooooo pretty

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morally ambiguous yet justifiable actions portrayed in one of the most exciting ways possible!

Story - 10/10

Vigilante aka Kim Ji-Yong, a student at the police university is simultaneously a criminal that's taking the country by storm. Ji-Yong's character from its core is contradictory. A police officer who is the epitome of law enforcement and a vigilante who breaks the law, being the same person is always very interesting. Ji-Yong defies what is expected of him and does purely what he believes is right. He's a dark hero, an evil fighting greater evil.

Vigilantism is a topic that often causes debate. Are acts of vigilantism right or wrong? In Ji-Yong's case, he is a serial killer, murder is murder no what the reason is. On the other hand, death penalty and self-defence exist, they are known as justifiable. The question is where do we draw the line between what is justifiable and what is not? I felt that this drama really moral ambiguities of the characters.

No character was truly "good" in my opinion. Cho Heon although he punished criminals through law, his process of catching criminals wasn't always lawful. He confronted Ji-Yong, telling him that what he was doing was criminal. But failed to see that many of his own actions can be labelled "criminal". Choi Mi-Ryeo, a reporter that doesn't hide the truth and brings justice through he raw reports, her ways of pushing the truth even if it could be harmful or her ways of attaining that truth can also be labelled "criminal". The people who watch the vigilante take action through murder but voice their support for his actions can also be labelled as "criminal". In the end, it was just about who had the capacity to wholeheartedly stand by what they believe in.

The drama was paced very well. There was no scene that felt like a filler. Every moment felt crucial and complimentary to the story. The action scenes were very satisfying to watch. The suspense was never lacking. The story was clear, easy to understand but also entertaining and mysterious in certain ways.

The ending felt complete but it also gave much room for a second season. The battle isn't over. So, I hope we get a season 2.

Personally, I love seeing morally grey characters. They are often more interesting than characters who are defined good or evil. A story about a dark hero who becomes a monster to fight off greater monsters, is never not thrilling.


Acting & Cast - 10/10

Nam Joo-Hyuk, is not really an actor I love. He has always felt rather stiff and quite limited in my opinion. But Joo-Hyuk really proved himself through this drama. I think this is his best role yet. I could feel so much improvement in his acting. This character felt like it was made especially for him. Action and thriller genres really suit him. I hope he takes on more roles in these genres rather than always sticking to romance. Not only Joo-Hyeok but the entire cast did a phenomenal job. Kim So-Jin was the other person that really impressed me in this drama. Her acting was equally amazing. I could clearly see her obsession increasing and taking over her. She did a great job at portraying her character in entertaining way, I could see how much of a workaholic, obsessed, and righteous her character was in a unique way.


Music & Sound - 9.5/10

I was too focused during the drama to notice the music and sound. But the ending OST was very catchy and appropriate. The BGM didn't steal away the focus from acting and did well in enhancing every scene.


Rewatch Value - 8/10

The rewatch value being low isn't always a bad thing. The drama was very memorable to me. I don't think I need to rewatch to be able to recall the drama. I was so engrossed in it that when I close my eyes I can watch the whole drama in my head. Still, I'd be tempted to rewatch for just the sake of rewatching, just to remind myself that this masterpiece is a masterpiece.


Overall - 10/10

Overall, this drama was one of the best action-thriller dramas ever. I throughly enjoyed it.


Thanks for reading so far hehe <3

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The first season was better...

But! This season wasn't bad at all!
(I'm bad with names so you gonna here a lot of explanation la of characters, I'm sorry)
Hyunsu is still so unreasonably hot, even though he isn't really present in this season. I mean he's there but the story rarely involves him.
Most of the original main characters died or turned. Eunhyuck didn't show up which I'm really sad about. But there was a hot priest but he wasn't really priest-y. Firefighter girly turned too but she had a monster daughter in the meantime. Hyunsu raised her though.
Eunhyucks sister (I can't remember her name for my life) is about the most of a main character we get.
There are also new storylines like the military dudes in the new camp (where the few still living og's are) and one particular military dude park so and so (can't remember his name for my life either). He's *so* fucking handsome you don't even know. Oh and somewhere in there is a half lunatic doctor who researches the monsters and the monsterasation.
The acting is good as usual, but the storyline is a bit all over the place. I never read the Webtoon sonI don't know if the plot is accurate but I had to get used to the new stuff. Could very well be a me problem though.

All in all I think you should give it a shot. If you loved the first season you'll enjoy this one too I think :3

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One drama that silently aired & no much people talk about. I also almost missed this if not for random click on WeTV. But quite happy to watch this stupid, hilarious yet full on meaningful family drama...

The story revolve around Chun Family. The single mother that raise 4 daughter, with their character & uniqueness themselves.

1st daughter, Chun Jin Rong (JR). With materialistic characters, that turn out offer more that the eyes meet the first time.

3rd daughter, Chun Ban Xia (BX). With smart & stubborn character, that in the end learn not all her ways is always right.

4th daughter, Chun Ke Ling (KL). The youngest & childish one in the family, that in the end learn to group up & take her responsibility in the world & in the household.

And finally our FL, 2nd daughter, Chun Pei Lan (PL). One woman that at first, take the responsibility to care of the house herself, to the end learn to let go her 'responsibility' & choose her own path, with her man... Haha...

Really interesting to see how these woman grow to be the better self of themselves through out the drama. Of course with each conflict in the family we can experience ourselves in our real world or no stranger in drama world.

Overall this really one interesting drama to watch. With grounded characters & actor/ess.

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Myslel jsem, že to bude takový solidní šedavý průměr a tak tomu zezačátkui bylo. Nakonec se z toho vyklubal příběh poutavý (někdo napíše klišé, stokrát ohrané téma) a já začal postavě Yo věřit a celé mě to do příběhu vtáhlo. Z uzavřeného a bázlivého kluka se najednou stal mladý muž uvědomělý, který si začíná sám sobe vážit. Příjemný zážitek podpořený velmi sympatickou postavou spolužáka Nobora. Myslím že těm, kteří mohou sledovat japonské filmy, mohu tento snímek doporučit.


Myslel jsem, že to bude takový solidní šedavý průměr a tak tomu zezačátkui bylo. Nakonec se z toho vyklubal příběh poutavý (někdo napíše klišé, stokrát ohrané téma) a já začal postavě Yo věřit a celé mě to do příběhu vtáhlo. Z uzavřeného a bázlivého kluka se najednou stal mladý muž uvědomělý, který si začíná sám sobe vážit. Příjemný zážitek podpořený velmi sympatickou postavou spolužáka Nobora. Myslím že těm, kteří mohou sledovat japonské filmy, mohu tento snímek doporučit.

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to much going on

i just finished the series that ive been waiting for nearly 3 years for and it felt unsatisfactory,
Theres was way too many new characters introduced this season and there wasnt really any closure for the MANY subplots they had going on this season, there was way too much chaos in new storylines to even follow up on the original plot and characters. I felt as if the original cast was being overshadowed and almost hidden with all the new characters that were introduced, they had very brief intros and it didn't quite make sense how it all played out overall. The cgi felt like the creators or animators i should say picked and chose what monsters they wanted to look real versus some looking like a bad video game especially in the first 2 episodes. I really love LOVE hyun soo, eun yoo and cha young the solider i really loved their screen time and chemistry throughout the episodes, it sort of felt like a love triangle which gave it the episodes a more interesting factor. I do have to say i feel like Hyun Soo was completely sidelined and almost hidden most of the episodes and i was really confused as to what he was doing and where he was i feel like he should've been the main focus after he turned into stone at the laboratory but they just completely skipped and he then appeared with yi kyoungs daughter which was very disappointing. This whole story line with yi kyung and her having a monster baby was really unnecessary to me and it made me loose track of the plot even more. The fact she dies with horrible illusions as a monster in the end made me feel so sad and it really made it worse when her daughter didn't even stay with her and just left after turning her into a monster, there was no emotional attachment and it had me confused. Moving on i feel like the stories and plots were left on too many cliffhangers especially the story and history of chief ji, her existence and suspicion was really driving me with curiosity the whole season and she never got disclosed or explained, I also feel like the relationship of the sick girl and the solider had a good focus when it really wasn't needed, This season has too big of an introduction for all the characters then it didn't lead anywhere! i really loved the 1st season and cast so i had to watch this season but it seemed like these three years weren't taken into account into making this season it seems rushed and too chaotic,then to leave on another cliffhanger to wait 6 months for the third season without having any closure is absurd, I watched the whole season 2 in just one day now i will forget everything by the time it comes out ill have to rewatch it!
if eun soo met her brother early on in the show and they had developed a clean story line showcasing hyun soo as the main focus in the lab escaping and finding more infectees like him trying to find equality and safety then expanding the love story with eun soo then introducing solider cha leading to chemistry and action it then would've been so much more enjoyable then having to understand this craziness with yi kyoungs monster baby who had no point in the show at all as well as the focus with the scientist being obsessed with finding all these new monsters! Anyways i've never written a review before so this has been a real rant! Let me know what you thought of the season 2 and well see if this comes to make a little sense in the third season! Hopefully i didn't repeat my self too many times lol and hopefully this doesn't offend anyone who read the webtoon because i did not read it so i don't know if my words are contrast to what the webtoon portrays!

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But mama I'm in love with a criminal

I will start by saying that this FL and ML had such a great chemistry that I do really wish that they make another drama together in which they have a happy and healthy story.
Now, the reason that this review is title as one of Britney's song is because I do have to admit that I fell (a little) in love with some attitudes of ML that are totally not okay lol. I was kind of shocked of how he treated FL, specially in the scene where he forces her to eat. There are many attitudes that I felt guilty to watch, to be honest.
However, the plot is interesting. Although, during the last episodes we understand that he always loved her and how afraid he was of her getting hurt, it would have helped to have scenes where this love develops other than the "i hate you because I love you".
I do believe that the ending was correct. They would never have had peace with each other if they lived, it didn't matter how hard they could try, they had done each other many bad things that their life would be have been miserable. It also made sense when he prayed to his family to let her stay with him forever as her punishment, her death was also her punishment.
In conclusion, all FL, ML and SLF were victims.
The scene of two years later is something that I can't explain and that I choose to ignore.

The music is on point since it reflects to the soun of music from that period of time and the fact that the lyrics tell us their story from their three lives is poetic.

For final conclusion, I do believe that this drama enters my guilty pleasure list.

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Into the mind of a killer

This is a FABULOUS show., Starring three greats of Kdrama - Lee Sung Min, Lee Jung Eun, with Yoo Yeon Seok in a role that's a change from his usual romantic man lead. I couldn't wait to watch this.

The show starts off slow by delving into the backstory about the making of a serial killer. Be patient as it soon gets exciting and involves a cat and mouse chase around the countryside as the taxi driver desperately tries to save himself and his family from the monster.

If you love thrillers, this one is for you. If you love mystery and finding out who the serial killer is, don't bother. We already know who the perpetrator is from the get-go so it's more of a thrilling and sometimes gory ride along the way.

Pity about the low ratings because this drama definitely deserves way higher, but the lack of English subs is definitely hampering things. Unfortunately, except for the first 2 episodes, you'd be hard pressed to find Eng subs for this anywhere on the Internet. It's very difficult for me to watch as I have to read slowly in my second language. Other languages (e.g., Indonesian) are also available so I just don't understand why Eng subs are not available. I suspect it's probably something legal-related so we'll just have to see it pan out. Hopefully once the whole show has finished broadcasting, they'll release the English subs.

Updated: I have just finished the show. It now has Eng subs (thank goodness) and thanks to the commenter who alerted me. I feel the show peaked a bit too early. The final few episodes were a bit all over the place and felt very Dexter-esque (the American show about a serial killer that showcases his motivations and attempts to act normal). In such a short series, I wished the show had continued what was good about it to begin with - the cat and mouse chase around the countryside where you didn't know who the cat and who the mouse actually were. However, perhaps the writers needed to find a nice way to tie things up after all the horrendous things that had happened - some characters needed resolution, others needed come-uppence, and others needed revenge.. I feel let down by the writers. Nonetheless, I am still giving it a good rating because of the first two thirds of the show.

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Sweet Moments and Sneaky Glances

It was really sweet. I experienced intense emotions at times. I recalled the feelings I had when I first fell in love. The series is very good in terms of atmosphere and storytelling. I guess I'm getting used to watching mini-series more and more. If the episodes were longer, emotional scenes would be more extended, and there would be more events and that would be a good thing.


One of my favorite things in any romantic series is the SIDE GLANCES. It made my heart flutter. I love freezing those scenes and watching them over and over again, and I absolutely enjoy jumping in my seat.
(If you ask me, it was precisely these glances that made the series 'We Best Love: No. 1 For You' so popular.)


What slightly bothered me was Seo Jae being excessively handsome. It may not seem like a problem, but it is. When someone is too beautiful, it feels like their position and power in the relationship increase, and consequently, they should be the one who loves more. There's a sense of responsibility loaded onto them because of their beauty, creating an illusion that they can have everything in life. This, in turn, leads to wanting more responsibility placed on them since they are so beautiful, hence more powerful, as if they should bear the burden.

While watching, my focus would occasionally shift to his beauty, and it somewhat disconnected me from the story. That's why I prefer actors with average looks, where charisma comes entirely from their character. Being taken out of the story by someone's appearance annoys me (she said and hearted Lim Ji Sub).


I thought Seo Jae was acting like he learned something in the military because I assumed he realized he was gay there, and I believe that would have been more fitting for the story. After all, he always took the first steps.

Continuing to be friends with a selfish, opportunistic, ready-to-betray-you, jealous, and passive-aggressive character like Jang Young!? That's something I would never do in real life. My baby Seo Jae also believes that this person ain't wearing a mask. ?

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Incorrect summary about the prince and other things

First off, the series mentions very briefly about the very short lifespan friendship between the prince and the ML when both were little children. This series is definitely NOT about how the FL breaks up the non-existent friendship between the prince and the ML.

Considering that the FL went back in time and met the ML first, not the prince, it sounds fair that the FL and ML got together again and again, while the prince tried his best to steal the girl, using any excuses he could, fair or not. (The prince character seems weak, narrow minded & stupid at times. I am glad the FL didn't go for him, even if this FL character happens to be very dumb, who constantly made horrible mistakes and caused troubles for others.)

My guess is, the prince character gets jealous with the ML character perhaps since the time they were little children (hence the prince's tendency to constantly find fault with the ML, his mean schemes to get rid of the ML). Leave it alone, the prince wouldn't be bother looking twice at the FL, but seeing her with the ML triggered his competitive & petty nature.

The ML played his role very well. The FL was just so so.

The plot was a bit messy. The story was not told well here, a pity! Side characters & their romance or whatever else, took too much screen time, which dragged and dragged...

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Just re-watched some episodes. Sounds like FL sacrificed herself (by breaking the flute) so that ML could wake up and live. They re-united in the end (the implication was there with ML after travelling everywhere to search for FL, finally saw FL's back at a cottage, waiting for him). At the palace, the prince (turned out he was ML's younger brother) seemed to get the present version of FL, since the younger girl practically followed him around (like FL had used to follow ML in their previous life).

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Uplifting legal drama with so much heart

I found this little gem while scrolling through Netflix. It's a heartwarming tale of two unlikely partners who find the courage to fight for the "weaker" ones in society and for what they want in life.

Ishida Shoko is a paralegal who works at her father's small law firm. Though a graduate from a prominent university, she has failed to bass the bar exam multiple times. Haneoka Yoshio, on the other hand, passes the bar easily due to his photographic memory despite finishing only high school. The two find themselves immediately at odds with each other when Haneoka is hired to join the firm. Through the course of the 10 episodes, they learn how to support one another and overcome their respective traumas and inner struggles.

There are plenty of darker, serious-toned dramas involving the legal process. This is not one of them. If you need something to lift you up and give you hope again in humanity, this is a nice, short one to enjoy. The cases are easy to follow and are interwoven with the characters' own stories as they progress throughout the drama. Arimura Kasumi and Nakamura Tomoya have excellent onscreen chemistry as our leads - it is almost a shame the drama did not make most of that and push their relationship together further. Shoko's fledgling romantic storyline with our second male lead, Oba Ao, really does not go anywhere. Akaso Eiji does a fine job in his role, but I just did not buy Oba's relationship with Ishida.

In my perfect world, there would be a special or second season to see our legal duo continue their bickering, common folk-helping ways. Alas, I will most likely have to settle for what we have here and rewatch their scenes together whenever I need a pick-me-up. Their quiet moments together are pure gold. Arimura and Nakamura seamlessly move between comedy and drama and ultimately move our hearts.

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This is a drama that could’ve been great but it was not properly abridged. The jump on scenes and plot twists come too abruptly and, in the processed of trying to keep the audience in suspence, the sequence of events and characters’ reactions don’t make a lot of sense. Although there are logical explanations by the end of the series relating the male lead Wei Shang Zhi’s unfortunate marriages and his real reason to marry the leading lady Bai Zhi, the narrative was all over the place and it made the drama’s plot feel disjointed. The actors did the best with what was given to them but, even though the leading couple had some nice moments, their relationship lacked intimacy in their romantic chemistry. Overall, this drama missed a great opportunity to even be good enough to watch.

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Identity reveal

Supererb assassin and team oriented group. The story is indeed great that you keep on waiting for next eps everyday. Each of them carries their own task but they work as a team. The cast/ writer/director/producers are good and they support each other. Hopefully the drama continues to give us great storyline. I'm so excited for the next eps and next fighting scene because it's really awesome to watch wuxia' making move. And, I hope the princess will learn something and grow more throughout their journey not for her mission but for the Team. Hoping to see growth to each members. Goodluck!

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An idol drama that punches above its weight

First, this is an excerpt from my long-ass post about Wonderland of Love, which includes and episode watch log: https://dramatea88.wordpress.com/2023/12/02/wonderland-of-love-review/

To read my FULL thoughts on it, head to the blog. Here's my short review:

What I liked

- Great chemistry between Jing Tian and Xu Kai and I really enjoyed how evenly matched they were in terms of power dynamics, especially in the first few episodes.
- The brotherhood story took a while to build up, but when it did, the impact of the angsty episodes really hit hard!
- I like that every episode moved the story forward. There were hardly any filters.
- Episode 30 and 31 really elevated the drama to fascinating heights. On the one hand, it was a very typical idol historical romance drama, and those episodes had Ripe Town vibes.
- It has a wonderfully long happy ending. I'm a softie for those and we have precious few dramas that end so happily these days.

What I didn't like

- While Ah-Ying is written as a kickass female heroine, and she was in the first few episodes, she needed to be rescued way too much, which undermines her kickass status.
- The pathetic villains with poor motivation. Young Master and Lady Gu are not that much of an antagonistic challenge to our leads and are mere annoyances. I found Sun Jing a more effective bad guy but when he left the stage, our new antogonists could not pick up the slack. It didn't help that the acting was not fantastic either. I found our two Li princes a little better in the villain department but they were also not very bright villains and never felt like a real threat either.
- Episodes 30 and 31 showed that the writers and production could elevate the drama to become something so much more, so it's a pity they never went there completely or reached those heights again.
- The political intrigue/palace drama bits were not, er, sophisticated. It was silly and simplistic at times and probably would not fly in the real world.
- I really wished they had made Xu Kai and Jing Tian less pretty in the drama. For goodness sakes, at least tan Xu Kai a bit so that I could believe that he spent a decade in a deserted border outpost. In a sea of scruffy and dusty soldiers, Shiqi and Ah-Ying's unreal beauty and polished looks stood out like a sore thumb. For the first few episodes, I couldn't stop wondering if someone had slapped crazy filters on Xu Kai because he looked an anime character.
- The drama had a "too clean" look. The sets were too polished and so obviously shot at Hengdian it took me out of the show sometimes. The streets were too clean, the soldiers' uniform was looked too new, bright and shiny ... I felt that this drama needed a liberal layer of dirt so that I could buy that it is real.

Seeing how long the "What I didn't like" list is, you are probably wondering, oh noes, she doesn't like this drama! Bu no, I really enjoyed the heck out of it. It's the rare drama that I will rewatch on a moody day when I need cheering up. There are precious few of them.

I mean, it is certainly no Ripe Town or even Dream of Splendor, so lower your expectations. It is a typical idol drama with many spinning, hair-and-cloak-flying shots of our couple looking gorgeous as they stare into each other's eyes.

However, it was very entertaining, fluffy, feel-good and romantic. And yet, it had surprising moments of depth that took me by surprise. It is just a pity that it wasn't sustained throughout its 40-episode run, but I enjoyed Show for what it was: Pure entertainment.

The pathetic villains, plot holes, convenient solutions definitely diminished what could've been a really, really good show. But I laughed, teared up with this couple and it cheered me up immensely at a time when I needed it. ? When I watched the show, I just had my first bout of COVID after avoiding it the entire pandemic, my sense of taste and smell was gone and I was miserable. On top of that I was dealing with adulting issues. I desperately wanted something happy to watch and Wonderland was what I needed.

Whether you will enjoy Wonderland of Love depends on how far you can ignore its flaws and go along with the story. It is also best for people who like the drama's tropes: brotherhood and star-crossed lovers.

If you can't do both you will probably not enjoy it at all ? I am a sucker for bromance and will watch any drama with that trope.

All in all, Wonderland helped me turn off my brain and have a good time. ? And I love it for that.

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