Reviews

Less than extraordinary, but still more than good

It is obvious that this drama wants to promote the difficulties, changes and positive energy encountered in the new media era. I love how the FLs represent three different kinds of women working in that field, who encounter various situations in real life.

The heroine He Huan (Liu Tao) is a wealthy and successful lady both in marriage and carrier as a newscaster/ host. After her husband ran away leaving her and their child with debts, she chose to sell her expensive bags, trying to rent out their house, and doing some odd jobs. She didn't run away from the creditors even though she's not obligated to pay the debts. Her show also got cancelled and she had to accept the new change happens in her workplace. I appreciate her character that was brave to return to zero, very hardworking, and keeping on her professional ethics even when she's in the lowest moment of her life.

Bai Yang (Qin Hailu) is a news producer who represents a strong woman dedicated to her career. Her story tells us the perspective of a single, older, and career-minded woman facing a blind date and the thoughts of marriage. Her love line with her rival Ren Jie was fun to see, without knowing it i was rooting for them all along.

Jiang Junhao (Liu Yuning) is responsible for making the refreshing, funny and sweet atmosphere in the drama. I appreciate that our ML isn't the kind of rich second-generation. He just suddenly appeared in the life of the heroine, is an ordinary person working hard as a chef who was cheated for money. On the road to collect the debt with the other creditors, he actually wasn't that stupid as he tried to play tricks to get the money back, but in the end his soft heart made him lost. He grew together with the heroine and support each other. I like how their love story isn't fabricating an unrealistic dream of a prince charming for the audience.

Last FL is Yuanyuan (Chai Biyun), although she is a bit vicious and likes to scheme, she is actually not annoying, has positive vibes and a bright character instead. As a child from an ordinary family in the countryside, she needs to work 100 times harder than others. All she can do is try to seize every opportunity to survive. She has clear mind about what she wants both in love life and career, and honestly she has the best character development among the FLs.

In general, this drama is unexpectedly relaxing and funny, as well as warm and relatable. The friendship among the FLs and their respective love stories are well-written. There are some dialogues that i felt like being written and acted carefully and it's succeed to convey the message to viewers. The drama title was well-chosen too, since the story tells us that friends and lovers might enlighten you in life, but the one who can make you stand up again is your own self.

I wish they could shorten the episodes though, we alr have 3FLs and 1ML, they shouldn't add more unnecessary parts about the supporting characters who actually don't have significant roles to the main story.

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Don't forget to tip your rider!

The Devil Rider packed a big emotional punch into a short amount of time. Instead of single-mindedly focusing on the royal court and their politics, this drama special focused more on The Devil Rider and the people hurt and forgotten by an overly entitled elite.

In 1637 Choi Munbok was assigned the task of delivering a message to a Joseon general during the conflict with the Qing dynasty. Serving his country meant leaving his wife who was in labor. He rode his horse through a harrowing hail of arrows during multiple ambushes, suffered an injury that would be lifelong, all to deliver a message that ended up being meaningless. Fourteen years later he became unwillingly embroiled in palace politics which put his daughter's life at risk. He would once again be asked to become The Devil Rider.

Yoo Oh Sung gave a wonderfully emotional performance as the imperfect Choi Munbok, portraying a broken man who often let his daughter down yet was also fiercely protective. He showed a man dragged down by guilt and a loyalty he could not forsake. All of the supporting cast were strong. Lee Chae Young gave an excellent performance as the daughter of the betrayed general looking for vengeance.

The Devil Rider could be frustrating and heartbreaking telling the story of people who were used and discarded by the imperial court. "Rags like us never had names to begin with." Still, Munbok was able to free himself from his past and grasp what was important to him with a lighter heart in the present which is all most people can hope to do even today.

8/8/23

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I don't even know

I had such high hopes for this kdrama. The clips I had seen made it look so interesting but what even was that. I found myself dreading every episode yet hoping it'd get better. But it didn't and I didn't want to stick around for the rest.


The storyline was trying to make fetch happen (if you know what I mean). The beginning was good and I liked both ML and FL but why did they even get together? It made no sense. The only thing they had in common was that they both got cheated on. I don't think that's good for a lasting relationship. And the SML and SFL were straight up ANNOYING!!

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Just Go Watch It

This was one of the most amazing non romantic J-drama I have ever seen. I didn't really expect much, as it started playing on Netflix after I had completed at different series and was too lazy to find something else lol. If you love the "Found Family" trope then this is for you. I love how they all had their own personal struggles and storylines that intertwined with one another. Its amazing and definitely worth your time.

P.S. I happened to Alice in Borderland and realized that the actor who portrays Hatter is in this drama as well.

Why are you still here?????? GO WHAT SMOKING NOW!!!!!!! XO?

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Romance Fluff

First, there's potential to the story. Second, the cast is good which is why I became more and more frustrated as the episodes piled up. I dropped it at ep 14 and went to YT to see the last few minutes of the ending.

It is meant to be what it was drawn as; a comic romance. The entire drama revolved around the two main leads getting together and trying not to be caught. The problem is, the environment around them didn't try very hard to be an obstacle. I cringed every time they were together in the last few episodes I watched and concluded romance dramas definitely isn't for me. The knowledge that it isn't possible for the two main leads to get together so easily makes it so much harder to watch. More so when the FL is cross dressing, a Crown Prince and a King later.

Royalty is always stringently protected, there is always an entourage and there are always bodyguards. More so for crown princes. I would have preferred the drama take on a serious tone, better written and directed to show the intellect, creativity, talents and skills of the FL to plan her way through the obstacles around her and how the ML supported her through his abilities. That the relationship between her and the ML is subtle and yet powerful. This would have made it more interesting, imo.

As it is, the potential is wasted, more so with a good cast for this drama. They're not fully utilised.

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I am a sucker for friends-turned-lovers type of drama and this one certainly fits the bill. Soundtrack #1 tells the story of Eun Soo, a struggling lyricist trying to come up with meaningful words to accompany a song but she comes up short. The lack of emotional depth that she uses in her lyrics was the main issue according to the music producer. She believes this is the case because she hasn't experienced a love strong enough to conjure up those feelings (or so she thought). Meanwhile, her best friend of twenty years Sun Woo is the epitome of unrequited love, pining for Eun Soo in ways that everyone notices except for the oblivious target.

I almost did not recognize Park Hyung Sik from SWDBS as he broods quietly on the sideline, while Song Hye Kyo's doppelganger Han So Hee is decent as the object of his affections. I also liked the fact that the production team used music and imagery to reflect the different stages of the MCs' relationship. Alternatively, this isn't a drama that needed a whole thesis deconstructing the plot devices or in person narratives due to its short length. It is meant to be enjoyed as it is, a bittersweet journey of two people finally finding love after two decades.

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How can people not like this?

I stopped believing bad reviews by now, half the time they are right and the other half I'm rating the low rated show 10 stars.
I really enjoyed this one! It was short, cute, and had emotional depth. It showed how confusing dating can be at first, and how daunting first love, first relationships can be.

I loved Takara's stone-faced attitude, when he did smile or show affection it felt like SO much more because most of the time, he looked serious. It was beautiful to see. The intimate moments were great.

Amagi to some may be annoying but I loved his bubbly care free kiddish attitude. I can see how someone would fall for that brand of cute, and I think anyone saying it was to fake or to animated has never met a truly happy carefree person. He is just full of life. Of course he has some emotional healing to do but that doesn't stop him from being a little bouncy ball of joy. Who can hate on that?

Their relationship was interesting to watch and left me feeling satisfied.

Now the only negative thing I have to point out is the first and second episode and a little throughout the show. Sometimes the timeline will flip flop and in the first and second episode it can be a little confusing. I skipped past the scenes in the blue darkish classroom and then went back to watch that scene in the entirety and it made it clearer. There is also one more time where the timeline jumps to the past, where Takara is talking about his interactions with Amagi BEFORE where the first episode begins. This time jump wasn't labeled but it was pretty easy to figure out what was going on.

Overall this one was a great watch.

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The Perfect RomCom!

This is such a perfect way to describe RomCom.
Best Couple ?
This couple is the best for me, I have watched so many kdramas, but they are my currently favorite & the best couple for me. It definitely proves us that breaks up are not that necessary to be always included in the story. They literally portrayed the healthy and mature relationship very well.
Best Cast ?
I love all the cast here. I was so invested to all the characters here. I love the friendship. A perfect way to describe friendship, starting from sarang's two friends until it become 6 siblings. I really love the 6 siblings here, their chemistry witg each other are insane, I feel like I want to be part of that squad. The grandmother also! I really love her character, especially to that last ep, I really cried so much coz that scene was really beautiful.
Good Cinematography ?
I would never forget that last scene on Ep 2. That was really filmed well. It was really beautiful, matching with that great ost of punch. Also, Ep 10 where they showed us the beutiful trip to Thailand. That was actually my fav ep of the entire series. It was so fun, like I want to travel Thailand after watching that episode. That was really effective and beautiful way to promote the attractions places of Thailand. The use of sounds especially to comedic scenes were also good. It gives more emphasize to make it even more funny.
Best OST ?
All the OST are great! Everytime I listen to it, it makes me feel that this is the story of king the land. Like they literally own these songs. This is the first time that I listen to an entire OST album of a series like I even literally made a playlist just for me to listen to it everyday.
One of the Best RomCom & Currently the Best RomCom ?
10/10 is the best way to rate this series. The best way to describe a RomCom. The romance scenes are so good, the comedy scenes are so good. They literally showed us the balance way of portraying RomCom. This series is something that I would definitely rewatched to cheer myself up when I am down. This series is such a comforting drama for me. It feels like it heals me for some reason especially emotionally and mentally. There are so many lines that are very relatable in real life. I also feel like I'm given a free lessons in life.
There are so many good things to mention from this series but all in all, it is the perfect RomCom for us to be watched. King the Land really deserved that hype! ?

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Is it the script writing or the actress?

Like most of the dramas Taecyeon stars in I started watching this one solely because of him. In the first few episodes I was happy thinking it's an entertaining drama, brushing aside the constant screaming by the FL because at least it made her look somewhat fierce and independent (I know it's not really by choice but still) But once she starts falling for him that attitude changes to a submissive one where she constantly has the same -for lack of a better word- pouty/resigned look on her face.
Suddenly, this woman that used to scream and make a vampire dance to her tune, ends up completely emotionally dependent. While she managed to live on her own before, in the course of the drama it seems like the the ml becomes the only one she is living for. Her saying "He's not the one who needs me. I need him" just doesn't sit right with me
I know it's not so far from the truth to have people with past trauma or depression have these unhealthy relationships and emotional attachments, but it's not a healthy way to cope so why romanticize it?
This drama is full of characters obsessing over each other in a very toxic way.
I just finished episode 13, so who knows what turn this might take, but I couldn't help but be bothered by the only two ways I have seen the FL lead express emotions. Like it says in the title I can't really tell if the script writing is at fault, because they wrote her to be either screaming or resigned or if it's the actress being unable to portray emotions differently. What I do know tho, is that the script writing is at fault for writing the FL to end up entirely depending her will to live on the ML.

Some of you might not be bothered by this, which is fine, since Kdramas aren't supposed to be taken too seriously anyways but I really needed to speak my mind and see if there are like-minded people.

I'm still planning to finish this drama just because there are only 3 episodes left and also, let's be honest here, because I just love Taecyeon.

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Two childhood friends reunite after 20 years

I remember one day in May this year when I was browsing through Letterboxd and suddenly, one poster caught my attention. It said Past Lives and after I watched the trailer, I knew I needed to watch it. Unfortunately, one thing interrupted my excitement and it was the fact that it would be released in July, which was two long (boring?) months away :(

Today was finally The Day I was waiting for. I couldn't sleep, didn't have hunger, had no motivation to do anything, only wanted to watch Past Lives. So I went with Mom to the second local cinema in my city, which isn't exactly the classic big cinema with multiple screening rooms and a bar with popcorn and other stuff (this has only two screening rooms, a little bar with (mostly alcoholic) drinks). The tickets are like the small pieces of paper in old cinemas. When you sit there it feels like you are sitting in a movie club with movie fans and not with random people, after the end of a movie when you see that everyone still sits in their seats and watch the credits is something so nice that it always warms my heart (in my opinion I think the credits are part of a movie which should be watched as well because by doing so you honor the film and the people who worked on it). I personally like this cinema more than the bigger one that we have here, they do movie marathons, they screen movies that are not in the big cinemas (old or not well-known titles by not well-known directors) and many other nice things ♥

I know I should not say this because it's quite a lazy sentence that won't tell you anything, but everything in this movie was perfect! The ost – it was a big part of the movie, it would be weird without it. The story – it's just a simple story about love which is nice to see after the films I watched. The characters sometimes just stare at each other and it is worth hundreds of words. The cinematography – aesthetic and pleasant to watch like wow every shot was amazing. You feel like you are there with the characters - that is such a great feeling when movies can do this magic ^^ (I was in NY in person and even on the same street eeeee, sorry I needed to flex a little haha) And the Actors – Greta Lee and Teo Yoo were awesome I was already familiar with both of them.

It got me at the end, I couldn't hold the feelings anymore ㅜ-ㅜ
My new comfort movie.

Watched twice already, thinking to watch it for the third time :D
Can't wait to see Song's second movie Materialists (current name) ^^

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Tense, Political Romance

THE REBEL PRINCESS was really such a captivating drama. While the title of this series may be a bit misleading to some, there were so many aspects that I loved about this one, among them being the excellent writing, the steller cast and performances, the accurate and mesmerizing costumes and settings, and wonderful music. I have to say the writing and the characters really made this series for me. The characters were all dynamic and the superb acting made this one just irresistible to watch. For me, binge worthy...

The story is about a naive, somewhat spoiled Princess "Awu" Wang Xuan (Zhang Zi Yi) whose luxurious life is suddenly altered by her arranged marriage to the fearsome yet noble General Xiao Qi (Zhou Yi Wei) a common man of low birth newly conferred as a Prince, with growing power in the world stage through his vast military strength. The series follows the aftermath of this fated union as the world soon goes into chaos, as the noblility increasingly fears the growing power of the commoners, namely their leader, General Xiao Qi.

The story was really compelling and the settings were sometimes gorgeous and other times gritty, yet eye catching and superbly realistic throughout. One of my biggest praises is that the drama never felt that it leaned too heavily into common tropes. Lots of red herrings, as well. There were times when I said to myself "Welp, I know where this is going..." and then, it didn't go there at all, or there was a twist to the scene and it went the complete opposite direction. Really well done. That alone made this series a much needed breath of fresh air.

The relationships between characters was so believable and utterly palpable. The family dynamic is deeply contemplated here with Princess Awu at the center of many conflicts and dangers. The bonds of the Wang Clan were at time deeply touching, while other times, simply terrifying. While not a character of typical strength, whether physical or military strength, Princess Awu is exceedingly strong and gifted in her own manner and she was a very noble, worthy character. Fierce, brave, noble, merciful, loyal and cunning, albeit a bit tender-hearted, which made her character all the more endearing and realistic. Simply a great portrayal.

As for the romance between the main couple, Princess Wang Xuan "Awu" played by the stunning and yet subtle Zhang Zi Yi, and General Xiao Qi played by the brilliant Zhou Yi Wei. Both characters were excellent, and acting great, though it was the character of Xiao Qi that truly shines and stood out. I can't think of a better written or acted "General" character in recent years. He was able to seem both fierce and gentle, both powerful and humble. He commanded both respect and fear from those around him. A truly compelling and enigmatic hero. A brilliant and memorable portrayal. He played such an absolutely great role here and totally blew my expectations out of the water!

I truly loved the main couple and their dynamic relationship. Never did it feel corny, like some romances do. It was a natural realistic relationship with powerful chemistry to back it up, between the actors, as well as the written characters. It could be sensed both in body language (glances, posturing, displays of affection), in dialogue (tenderness, teasing, mutual respect) and in action as well (defense, trust, mutual alliance). The love that developed seemed so natural, and can be felt in almost every shared scene. The romance that bloomed from nothing, truly pulls you in and warms your heart, as well as becomes the cause of much suspense during the twists and turns that follow. And there there are many.

The entire cast was really excellent, all playing realistic imperfect characters, many morally grey and others simply memorable or unpredictable. This drama is highly political and compels the viewer to analyze characters and their individual motivations as well as interpersonal relationships. Morally grey characters abound and some act spontaneous while others plan their schemes years ahead.

Since there are many episodes of court politics, schemes and intrigue, the pacing did feel quite slower towards the middle. So in that way, it was a slow-burn, which might not be appealing to some. And as others have said, the subtitles and translations aren't the greastes, but for me that never gave me pause or slowed me down.

Notable mentions were the characters of Prime Minister Wang Lin (Yu He Wei), Awu's father, who was a deeply shrewd and cunning character, Prince Jianxia Wang Su Yu (Jia Yi Ping) Awu's brother, who was flawed yet understandable, Empress Dowager Wang Haun Xi (Shi Ke) was devious and yet pitable, Crown Prince Ma Zi Long (Guo Jia Ming) who was first despicable then somewhat commendable, Pan Gui (Cao Jun), loyal and clever, Helan Zhen (Yuan Hong) who was vengeful and obsessive, Yu Xiu (Drolma Suijun) sweet and heroic, Hu Lao (Hai Ling) and General Hu Guang Lie (Hou Xiao) who were loyal siblings that served under Xiao Qi, as well as Su Jin Er (Liu Yun), Xie Wan Ru (Zuo Xiao Qing), Prince Ma ZiDan (Tony Yang), General Song Huai En (Liu Duan Duan), and the Emperor (Jiang Kai) who was a very believable Emperor. Aslo, I must say, the baby (multiple babies?) that played Jing'er was really cute!

Overall, this series was a very good find, filled with court politics, love and war. It was an excellent story, with an exceptional cast, playing diverse characters and great writing that made it less predictable than other series out there. The costumes and sets were outlandishly great, though sometimes the story was slower paced, and lower grade subtitles (not great but easily overlooked). While, the title might feel a bit misleading, (don't expect a Mulan/she-warrior/rebel type story here) it certainly didn't disappoint in any way.

This was such a wonderful C-Drama that was deeply complex and memorable, especially if you like to see epic power struggles, plotting and scheming, assassins and military battles, as well as a memorable power couple...with a strong, heroic male lead along with a cunning, strategic main lead female, each supporting one another. Loved this one. <3.

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A messy story out of focus

The drama is a downer. I was impressed by Yang Zi in Ashes of Love and had watched several of her dramas since. But not this one. LYF has been promoted so much by Tencent compared with other drama productions done by the company (e.g., the highly acclaimed The Longest Promise that was premiered before LYF without any promotions nor any announcement about the date/time to premiere). Given all the resources from Tencent to invest in LYF that was adapted from a popular novel written by a famous writer, I had very high expectation over this drama. Not only are there intense promos done by the production team prior to and post the premiere, there are also a huge cohort of book fans to hype it up. But after watching 18 episodes, I felt like wasting precious hours off busy work schedule on a draggy and sleep-inducing boring drama. Not everyone had read the book before watching the drama. Therefore the plot should have had some highlighted focus to give ordinary viewers intriguing points to follow. There's not enough suspension in each ep to invite me to look forward to watching next ep. I gave it a shot but ended up fast forwarding each ep A LOT to skip those lackluster and confusing scenes. There're no stunning visuals in the drama as how the novel described the main male leads should be. I'm disconnected to their acting either. The only thing I can rave about is YZ's crying scenes that were convincing and touching. The plot so far is badly scripted, chaotic here and there, and leads you to a rabbit hole. I just don't get this multiple love lines between one heroine and the 3 or 4 ordinary-looking MLs. In particular, that white haired demon sucking blood out of the FL disgusts me a lot. It's so awkward and not convincing.

If the storyline had been better scripted and directed with an interesting plot development at a faster pace, I might have been able to stick to the drama by overlooking other flaws mentioned above. But without reading the original novel, I was completely lost in the first few eps. I stuck to see perhaps interesting arcs emerging and also for YZ's sake until ep 18. Nope!
It's not worth continuing. I quit after that.

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Worth rewatching

Another memorable performance from Xiao Zhan since his breakout drama The Untamed. Xiao Zhan is not disappointing. The story is melancholy beautiful. Xiao Zhan exudes the aura of the hero as a stoic and highly disciplined priest. This is the only C fantasy drama I've never fast forwarded one single scene since The Untamed. In the meanwhile I watched numerous C fantasy dramas but dropped them all with unsatisfactory watching experience. I'm currently rewatching The Longest Promise and still found many details of the storyline refreshing. The production values are pretty good compared with other C dramas in the same Xianxia genre. It's aesthetically pleasing with great CGI, beautiful setting, and beautiful costumes. Very decent acting from all the cast with great script writing and directing. Overall, it's a drama I enjoyed a lot. I think I can rewatch the drama many times.

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