Reviews

Musical without the music

I fell in love with Lee Bong Geun's voice when watching Six Flying Dragons (which I recommend, BTW), and started researching him. When I found out that he was cast in a movie about a travelling singer, I HAD TO watch it!
How huge my disappointment was when this fascinating, unique traditional singing was covered up with generic "film music" of the type you can hear in cheap productions from around the world. Why would you do that? If I watch a movie about traditional music, I want to hear traditional music, not some stock musac.
The travelling singer is performing in front of the crowds? You can barely hear his voice from beneath a western style orchestra playing a romantic tune. A girl is about to sing a song for a granny? No way, you cannot listen to that song a'cappella, they need to play some cringy strings as an accompaniment.
You hate traditional music so you make a movie about traditional music? That's just plain stupid. Playing background music while the character is singing is in itself quite weird, if you ask me. In case of a movie that was supposed to showcase that very singing, it's absurd.
I was let down and irritated. As I wanted to watch this movie because of music, I dropped it in the middle.

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While I believe this drama is commendable, it falls short of being a masterpiece. I thoroughly enjoyed the engaging storyline, impressive acting, and particularly the captivating visual effects in diverse realms. The unique style of clothing also added to the overall appeal. However, the conclusion surprised me, and I feel that something crucial is lacking in the ending.

This marks the first instance where I've sensed sadness conveyed through a character's eyes, specifically Gu Jin, the god of chaos. Despite my mixed feelings about the conclusion, I must admit that this drama is worth watching, offering a range of emotions and a compelling viewing experience.

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A must watch drama.♥♥

A must watch drama.
Although this drama is old (2017) and I was exposed to it only now, but at the same time it is also true for 2024.
Let's start with the perfect casting, move on to the wonderful soundtrack, and end with a plot that conveys so many messages. In the title it is noted that this is, among other things, a "comedy", although I found myself laughing a little but at the same time I found myself crying more than laughing, crying because of a witty plot and such accurate messages concerning many social aspects, sexual harassment at work, the difficulty of the 30 to purchase an apartment because of economic aspects, (this is true for many countries and not only in Korea) the status of women in society, married life, tradition, customs, what is love? (between spouses and between parents and their children), difficulty in self-realization due to prejudices, and of course the beauty of determination and friendship between friends.
It is true that there are sections that are slow but at the same time it is important to listen to the content they say.
Through three couples, (each of whom has a different worldview regarding the essence of their lives), they manage to convey important social messages, which makes this drama high-quality, witty writing and accurate characters along with wonderful acting.
I couldn't help but rate her 10/10

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Allegory for the new age visualisations

We live in an era, where pop culture and mindfulness coaches urge us to achieve more than our limiting beliefs. I feel this drama is more related to the self-delusional dreams every average person makes, rather than offer a case for arguments over technology overriding our will. It's not technology that leads to mental illness. It's our high hopes and dreams and constant drive to overachieve. Statistically, most people fail in their road to overcome their socio-economic class. Competition is fierce. The only thing that matters is that some people care for us, no matter what we achieve in life. And this is portrayed excellently in Lin Yi's character, where he just cares for this lady, for years. He's not into her to gain something. And along her career, she gains friends and their support. That is the most valuable thing. A community where people care for each other. That's the final taste of this drama. I loved it! Congratulations to the crew!

One more note on visualisations: People over the internet spread information on how to visualise you are "abundant" in money and love. Make vision boards with your dream house and vacation...I feel this is all crap stories that poison one's mind and detach them from reality. People in denial of their socio-economic background or "failed" loved stories. People desiring to get into mass hypnosis and forget their regrets. We watch hot C-drama actors, like this hunk Lin Yi, who might be rich, good-looking and on their rise up to popularity, and we dream meeting a guy like him. But he might have mental issues we don't know about. His everyday life might have a ton of problems. These actors might gain 1 million one day, and the next a shrewd scammer might tempt them to an ambiguous investment and lose it all! Our derailed desires and self-defeating hallucinations are the biggest danger in 2024!

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My opinion about series

The first thing you must know to watch this is that it isn't about something funny or entertaining like I was thinking.
I want watch it because of the edit from TikTok so my first thought was like yeah this must be funny but it was just my thoughts.

In first episode I could see that this is about. My feelings change to more serious and I more thought about my currently life I have right now.

In each episode I can see the same conclusion
"What is dead to me" and in every episode I have to think about that is it. I can tell it's hard and a little scary to answer this question but you have to face it someday.

While when you will be watch it you an fell angry, lonlynes, sadness or just fell empty this emotions I had.

I can recommend you this series because you can change your time about something or someone and the most important thing you can just clear your minde and look for something with new mind.

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Good, but had to drop it

It is my first time writing a review because I feel I really have to.

I am a huge fan of Seo In Guk, and as in every Drama his acting is top and it looks like they had a lot of fun shooting this Drama. I also like all the other cast, especially the Cafe Minamdang Gang. The storyline and the comedy part were also on top. I really enjoyed watching, except for one part; the female lead.

I don't know where to start, but I can't stand her. I could bear it at the beginning, but after certain episodes, I had to skip the part where she appeared until it was unbearable and I had to drop it.
Let's start with the visual, her appearance doesn't fit the age gap that she and the ML should have. She looks like she is in her 40s, while the ML is in his 30s.
I am not sure, what she did with her lips or if she did plastic surgery, but her lips are irritating me as well.
Her acting was stubborn, overreacting, and narrow-minded, she disturbed or destroyed good investigation and in her world everything is the ML fault. And then like magic, she started liking him.
The chemistry between ML and FL felt so forced, so unnatural, and as a Watcher, I didn't have the feeling that romance fit in this Drama in general.

I think that a male detective, with a bromance comedy factor, would fit this drama much better, than a forced Romance.

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Overall, a nice drama

Overall, this was a nice drama. I liked some things and disliked others (your mileage may vary, some fringe takes I consider absolutely crazy, but I am more or less aligned with the general sentiment).

I think that most other reviews nail down the strengths pretty well. In terms of the pet peeves, one thing I didn't like was the treatment of the topic of betrayal. In My Mister there was a great line that talked about how in kdramas betrayal is treated flippantly or romanticized, and you don't see the true effects, or they are swept under the rug when you need to move the story forward, and My Mister was a perfect example of a show that didn't do that at all, not shying away from the pain and long term consequences of the affair, with flashbacks and DH's imagining his wife being intimate with her lover.

I feel that My Wife Is Having An Affair This Week was an example of the above mentioned flippancy, in that there are some scenes where the anguish is shown, but for the sake of the plot they move past it when convenient, and someone who couldn't even touch her without thinking of her with her lover suddenly has his trauma healed because of what, a decision? The power of love? If one could simply chose to get past that trauma and rebuild trust that manner, they wouldn't have needed to divorce and people wouldn't need therapy and counselling. Healing and rebuilding trust are not easy, they don't happen on command, and some times they don't happen at all (and some time, it's appropriate for them not to happen: if somebody was factually speaking disloyal and betrayed your trust, they have shown themselves to be unworthy of your trust, and if you didn't believe them capable of that, you should realize that the object of your affection didn't exist outside your head and the real person is quite different).

In a review of Crazy, Stupid Love, a commentator had written that it was fundamentally fake, phony, dishonest, in that it does not show the true pain one goes through, the trauma, the broken trust, there is no effect on surrounding relationships and no therapy and marriage counsellor, and trying to move past the pain and failing to do so, etc. My Wife Is Having An Affair This Week used the flashback/image with the lover only when he embraced his wife, not before, which was unrealistic, and even that was shown only once and in a tame manner.

Coffee Prince is that way: for some reason, despite having lived through the hell of YJ having an affair with DK for more than a year and lying to his face about working while she was with him, and leaving him for two years despite him begging not to, he continues to pine after her and remembers only the good times. No flashbacks to the pain and anguish of discovering her betrayal and choosing to forgive her day after day for more than a year, no imagining her with her lover, etc. Some times at the beginning and the time where he confessed to have known of the affair at the side of the road were the only two times where his anguish was manifested, then it was brushed aside and we saw someone who didn't act as if he was carrying trauma commesurate with the hell he was put through. No comparable trust issue, him joking and playing along when she makes light of the betrayal and him being the victim that took her back, and feeling his pride hurt by mentions of DK, who he hates. After the scene in the car and all the pain that showed up? After she used a man she cheated on him with for more than a year and abandoned him, and recently used to make him jealous, threatening to leave him to DK? When he felt he couldn't even open up to her about not feeling comfortable with DK's presence when she phoned the guy and met/had lunch with him one on one?

Frankly, I wonder if the writer's intentions was to make it appear as if she had merely dumped him, because what I saw, him being uncomfortable with DK but pretending he was cool with it with YJ, even shaking the guy's hand as if he didn't know she had been seeing him behind his back for more than a year while they were together, or him appearing uncomfortable with her indulging/flirting with his cousin (when he saw him with his head in her lap)... I thought he was insecure because of the abandonment, but that she knew the line and wouldn't betray his trust, and would talk and be honest with him, but her having carried on a full blown affair for more than a year puts every of these actions in a quite different light.

Frankly, I don't understand how anyone could consider her not self entitled and self centered, selfish and manipulative. She uses DK, who has feelings for her, to make her bf jealous, teasing him about the fact they lived together, knowing the immense pain she had caused him, that he had tolerated her more than year long affair and lies, and begged her to stay, while she abandoned him, only to come back when the relationship with DK didn't pan out (maybe because of the underwear model she mentions?), and picking him up like a pair of old shoes, fully expecting him to be there waiting for her -you cannot take one any more for granted than that-. He takes her back almost immediately, with barely an apology, and she doesn't do anything at all to regain his trust -on the contrary, she still keeps in contact with DK and meets up with him (both with him and his cousin the touchy/feeling part was rather ambiguous, because while his cousin might never come between them, with DK she did have a more than year long affair and lived for two years, so him caressing her, and her letting him, has a whole other meaning). She doesn't set any boundary, either physical or otherwise, despite being aware of it potentially upsetting someone she betrayed for more than a year and abandoned for two, and whose trust she is supposed to rebuild: she asks him whether he is okay with his cousin's flirting and DK, which means she is aware enough to understand that it's something she should probably stop indulging, even if he pretends he is. Just minimal care and consideration for his point of view. For that matter, she herself admits that she is the selfish one, and even just using her ex bf to hurt/make jealous the man she had cheated on with said ex bf means manipulating both.

HS being painted as selfish and manipulative is ludicrous by comparison, which, again, the drama acknowledges. I mean, he put up with her betrayal for more than a year, and took her back basically immediately, and didn't even feel able to be open enough to talk about DK, pretending he was okay while she, being completely inconsiderate, didn't do a single thing to gain back his trust. Him inviting a female friend at the show, in part because she wanted to go, in part as a maybe partially subconscious desire to make YJ not even "jealous", but aware of the fact that she is taking him very much for granted, in response to the DK thing, while not knowing of FL's feelings for him, or his subsequent little one sided mini-crush and small kiss, in no way can be placed on the same plane as her lying to his face for more than a year while seeing DK while she was telling him she was working, and running off with the guy for other two. He was more reactive (meaning that he responded to YJ's actions) and aphazard than calculative or intentionally manipulative. She was very much not: she intentionally deceived him for a year, and used the feelings of the guy she cheated on him with to make his jealous, manipulating both of them (well, for DK I feel little pity, given he was willing to have a more than year long affair with her and then shakes the guy's hands and proposes a project as if nothing had happened). He sleeps with her because he loves her, and then tries to "take it back" because he feels that he has no self respect and self dignity (and yes, he was a chump). He is baffled, rightly, by the fact that his subsequent rejection doesn't phase her, while he was utterly destroyed when she left him. Theirs is not an equal relationship, either in terms of what they did to each other, and in terms of commitment, and he keenly feels that.

To "two wrongs don't make one right", I would reply banality with banality with "turnabout is fair play" or "you reap what you sow", and then challenge the notion that him seeing someone else would be "wrong". In my eyes, you don't owe respect, honesty and loyalty to someone that didn't show you any, and I was 100% in approval of the wives and gfs in shows such as A Good Lawyer's Wife and The Magicians sleeping with other man -their cheating spouses had no right to complain-.

Again, some empaty with someone that was put through unbearable emotional abuse by the traumatic experience of his girlfriend of nine years lying to his face for more than one year, having to beg her and her then picking up and leaving him for two years, and expecting she had any right to come back in his life and get back together with him since she and DK had broken up... self entitlement and taking him for granted to the n-th power. Also some sense of proportions. We are talking about a one sided mini-crush and an unreciprocated small kiss, versus deceiving someone for more than a year and spitting on nine years together, then ignoring his begging to run away with her lover and showing up after two years with barely an apology, while continuing to flirt and continuing to talk and meet up with the man she cheated with in a creepily ambiguous atmosphere, knowing he still had feelings for her.

I saw someone claim that YJ was "mature" and used her femininity to choose her sexual partner and her career. This is hogwash: in terms of the career, she advanced through her talent, not by sleeping with DK, and suggesting the contrary seems to me to be more insulting than an example of female empowerment (on the contrary, it mirrors the sexist trope of the actress sleeping with the guy financing her work to advance her career), as for choosing sexual partners, that's simply factually hogwash as well: in the modern world people freely choose their sexual partners -nobody in the show was in an arranged marriage, afaik- with or without femininity, case in point FL doing so while pretending to be a man. Bottom line, she made her way in the world (male dominated or not -frankly, as a solo artist one struggles to understand why the artistic circle would be more horrible in that respect than a lot of other places, and she just needs to produce good art, not to convince anyone to hire her or not suppress her on the job... and the implication that she would have slept with DK to get ahead makes this take insulting, not an example of female empowerment, so I am baffled at the idea of it being presented in that light, when it would have been the exact opposite: surely, the correct take and the most respectful one of her as a person and a female artist, is to believe that she used her talent and rather than bank on her femininity and sexuality to get ahead) through her talent.

As for "maturity", we are talking about someone that freely admitted to being unfair and selfish but did nothing to change her behavior, that drunk while pregnant, and showed no consideration for the feelings of someone she ghosted for two years after a year long affair, flirting, talking with and having 1-to-1 with her ex she had cheated on her bf with, etc., while doing absolutely nothing to rebuild the trust she had so completely broken. She used her ex, who still had feelings for her, to tease and make jealous, and hurt, the bf she had cheated on with said ex, talking about the house they shared in NY and threatening to leave him for DK and that he loved her and she might start to love him back again. Mature? I think not.

Another person said that artistic circles, particularly public facing ones, make it inevitable YJ cheating and running off while HS was a hermit living outside of town while she was a famous artist in the spotlight. I think that this generalization of artists being unfaithful and untrustworthy, or even particularly promiscuous, doesn't hold water (as any generalization about any group of people, gender, race, religion, etc.). It's in any case not a rockstar with groupies situation, and in SK afaik public figures are expected to be pretty spotless. In addition to that, it's simply false that she was famous when she begun the affair: as her lover said, she was pretty unknown at the time. Plus nobody else in the field seems particularly disloyal or even promiscuous, and if anything it's her bf, not her, that worked with other people (she also does, but she is mainly a solo artist), and he does work in the city -like many rich and famous people who are not hermits, he lives outside of town, a perfectly normal thing to do and not an indication of being socially isolated: he has a car-. And she herself said that she run off with DK because she loved him, not because she was a small girl in a bigger world and thought she could upgrade her bf with a rich fop. HS also had plenty of occasions to cheat -not a hermit-, he simply was in love with her and didn't even drink coffee with any of them-.

Someone said that she was the most self aware and admitted her flaws... that's not really correct, she gaslighted and pressured her bf and gave him no space, leaving and making it seem as if it was to give him freedom, while as she later admitted she just wanted to have her pride hurt if he left her. And in any case, admitting that her bf was selfless and forgave her more than year long cheating, and took her back after she dropped him like a pair of old shoes and then came back demanding to be his gf again, and to be selfish and inconsiderate herself, but doing nothing at all to change or even attempt to rebuild the trust she shattered.

She literally just had to show up and not to abandon him again despite his begging, and only when she was at the airport she realized that she was seeing the mote in one's brother's eye but not the beam in one's own, and that if we were keeping score in terms of the damage she did they were at a billion to one. In general, if you acknowledge you are an a-hole and don't do anything to change, you are still an a-hole. I cannot even say "at least she is not a hypocrite" with confidence. I mean, in one sense she was not, but in another sense, she held her bf to a much, much higher standard than she held herself, and was not willing to extend him the same grace: a blatant double standard. She could take him to task about FL before he even kissed her, but he couldn't be confident to talk to her about DK and had to pretend everything was fine?

She also doesn't get any props for not being jealous of FL, because the latter was not interested in her boyfriend and she was never a threat, while she had a more than year long affair with DK and abandoned her begging bf for him, only to come back two years later when that relationship didn't pan out. The situation with the FL is exactly the same as the bit with his cousin, in that they are not a threat (and the flirting with the cousin and leading him on was something that went on for years).

I found the banter at the end disturbing: the way she minimized and talked flippantly about him being the victim of her betrayal (which lasted more than one year, after which she ran away for two, and came buck asking to be his gf while keeping contact with her ex lover she had cheated on her bf with, talking with him on the phone and meeting up one-on-one while letting some quite creepy/ambiguous touching happen: in some way worse than indulging/flirting with the cousin, given that the latter would never come between them, but DK did come between her and her bf and she cheated on and abandoned the latter with him), and about being self conscious about DK and having his pride hurt (legitimate, among other things... also the broken trust and relationship... let's not forget she threatened to leave him for DK because her pride wouldn't take him leaving her). Considering the fact that he knew of the more than year long affair and she run away from him while he begged her to stay, leaving for two years, and she is still in contact with him, talking and meeting up one-on-one when DK still had feelings for her, and he was not comfortable telling her about it, but had to pretend that he was okay with it... are we sure he should be mocked for opening up about the fact he hates the guy? Particularly considering the pain he expressed just recently when he brought up the cheating at the side of the road to the airport, and the fact that she used DK to make him jealous and threatened to leave with him, saying he had feelings for her and she might also start to reciprocate again. It's clear that this is "joking" like the joking they did about his budding feelings for FL, meaning that it's not really joking, but she treats her past betrayal, and almost-leaving with DK, in a completely flippant manner.

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Overall, this was a pretty entertaining watch. I thought it would be just another Squid Game or Battle Royal knock off, but it wasn't. What I found interesting was that even if there were many similarities between these shows, Alice in Borderland was definitely its own thing.

I loved the puzzle games and the variety of challenges; I am not a gamer and I don’t play cards but they explained the rules in a way that could be understood by anyone. The show also used different areas of an abandoned cityscape very effectively for its background. It was refreshing how the game backgrounds would switch from an abandoned building to a hotel to even a beach resort.

The male lead was pretty smart and capable; it was a lot of fun watching him come up with last minute solutions when it seemed that he would lose. Despite being a very good and pure character, he also knew how to trick people, which came as a surprise but very handy for survival. At first, I didn’t like how he seemed to be the only smart character but it turned out that there were other characters (like the mysterious Chisaya) who were just as intelligent and could come up with their own ways to win.

I heard somewhere that the female characters were shallow in comparison but I didn’t think so. All FLs here were very strong, likable and had different capabilities. The parallels between the main FL Usagi and the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland was represented well, in that they made her a mountain climber who was very good at parkour; she also provided a very good motivation for the ML. Kuina, who gave the initial impression of being a beach bum, turned out to be a very capable fighter while Ann was not just the Mad Hatter's henchman but an intelligent forensic researcher.

One of the things I didn’t like is how the characters would sometimes have these overly long, philosophical discussions which really didn’t serve any purpose, It made some of the episodes (and the game that was ongoing) boring. I liked the challenge with the King of Clubs for example, but it could have been more exciting if they trimmed down these overly long conversations between ML Arisu and the king. I am not sure why they did it, it was as if they were trying to make the plot deeper than it had to be and I felt it was unnecessary.

Another thing is that, while I don’t mind the violence, the level of injuries the characters got (particularly in the last episode) was too much that I really could not understand how they survived. While I am happy that they did make it, it seemed impossible, given how brutal the fight scene was.

I am also not sure about the final challenge with the Queen of Hearts and how she was able to make the ML lose hope at first. Even at the very end, I wasn’t sure what the whole point of Borderland was…was it created to punish people who did wrong things in the real world? Two seasons have already passed but many important points weren't cleared yet. I heard there was going to be a third season but to be honest, I kind of worry that they will stretch the plot out too much and ruin it. It was exciting to see the joker card at the very end but there is a danger of ruining a good thing when it takes too long to come up with a proper conclusion.

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The English title for this drama is misleading. The male lead is not a bad person; it just so happens that the female lead’s family disapproves of him because of his background/status. This is basically a reverse Cinderella story with a poor ML and rich FL and a lot of the conflict stems from it. That said, this is a melodrama, so it has the usual tropes and makjang elements one can expect; I only recommend this if one likes watching this type of show in the first place.

It is pretty good for its genre. The best thing about this is the chemistry between the ML and FL, which is very intense and heartfelt. It’s one of the best I’ve seen in a long time and it doesn’t matter whether the ML or FL are having a romantic moment or a scene of heightened conflict. Mario and Yaya really sold it; they got along so well that there were plenty of times when they didn’t even seem to be acting. They were very natural when they were together.

I am not surprised about Yaya’s performance since I’m familiar with her work. In her last melo lakorn, she efficiently played a very fierce and strong FL. In Keu Teur, her character is gentler and more subdued, which also works since this means that she gets to play a different type of role. She really nailed the role of Saikhim, a character who loves her father in spite of the fact that he bullied her since childhood. Saikhim comes from a wealthy, but very toxic family and yet she doesn’t lose her goodness throughout. Yaya does facial expressions very well; one example is the scene in the beginning of the second episode where the ML’s ex discovers them together in the garage and the FL tries to flee. FL doesn’t say anything at all in this scene but you can feel her panic just looking at her face.

Mario was a pleasant surprise. It’s the first time I’ve watched him and he plays a very strong, devoted and yet vulnerable ML. At first, I thought he was too baby faced to play this character but he was very fierce when defending himself and going against other characters like the FL’s dad or even his evil ‘stepmom.’ The circumstances of his life put him at a disadvantage many times and yet he was no pushover. I love how he could speak out for himself, was single minded and not wishy washy about the FL and also that he was generous about helping people.

Another thing I really liked was that, unlike in previous dramas, the main misunderstanding between the leads was cleared up way before the last episode. Normally, the writers drag it out until the very last (or second to the last) episode, so the viewers only get to see good moments between the leads at the finale. Not so here. It was a very good decision to clear up the misunderstanding several episodes before the show ended and what’s more- I really liked how, even if the ML came back for revenge, it never went out of line (this is one of the few shows where he is actually justified and only acted out of self defense); also, it was clear that he still loved FL even before* the misunderstanding was cleared, which is another thing I liked.

There are only two flaws that bothered me. One is that both the FL and ML are too forgiving. The FL’s father’s actions were inexcusable; even if he supposedly turned good at the end, it was a little unbelievable. The FL’s friend (the second FL) did something very wrong which led to the leads separating. I could understand why she did it and liked her in general, but the way she looked down on the ML’s background was a bit hypocritical and snobbish, given that she also came from the same humble origins. It’s a good thing she redeemed herself later.

The character who bothered me the most was the ML’s friend, Khem. What he did to land the ML in jail was completely unforgivable. It frustrated me a lot to see him (and everyone else) brush this off at the end and worse, to see him angry at the FL’s father and act like he had no part in what happened to the ML.

There is also a very unpleasant reveal about one of the ML’s relationships at the end that was very uncomfortable and may turn off many viewers, but I saw the ML as a victim in there and not at fault for what happened.

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Good for a one time watch

"Friends-to-lovers" is usually a trope I like very much, and they did it justice until Zheng Ze Shou and Fu Li Gong got together. From then on, it was rather cheesy and the conflicts too clichéd for me.

The acting by the main couple was excellent, especially when they were still figuring out their feelings or what to do about them.
I also loved the two fathers and Nikita. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the second couple; especially Yuki's actor stayed bland, he mostly had the same gentle smile, whoever he looked at and however he felt -- I noticed it the most when he was fighting with the laundromat owner. It really didn't help that he didn't get any backstory (we only know his father was Japanese and died when Yuki was a child, which makes Yuki's "ohayou" even more pretentious).

The song that was used for the opening credits got on my nerves (it also was non-sensical); and the piano background music was distracting from what was happening on-screen.

It's a shame that the female roles did not get more development. The sister is unfortunately the stereotypical little sister (even though she's somewhere in her early twenties), the little girl has no personality whatsoever, apart from being a bit sassy. And Nikita's character, who was so cool and mysterious and generally an impressive woman with her own business, was ruined by that stupid and unnecessary crush.

I did like that we got to see two lawyers working together, and it was an excellent idea to have them be divorce lawyers in a romance -- the drama was strongest when the cases made Ze Shou and Li Gong think and talk about love and marriage, and reflect on their own love story. I wish the writer had used this also to resolve the conflicts of the second half. Together with maybe more time to show the father's side (because I think it's not very clear why he reacts the way he does). this would have made the second half better.

Overall, the story's flow is good, it's done well -- though not so good that I'd want to watch it a second time.

[cross-posted to VIki]

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Great part 1 - Disappointing part 2

1/ STORY:
ML sees his life as gloomy and because of struggling too much he decides to commit suicide. But Death takes him to the entry of hell and tells him he need to be punished by living 12 other deaths and then go to hell. If he can avoid a death by his choices, he will be able to live that life until the end.

So, it is not reincarnation. It is Soul jumping into bodies of other people and live their life... and their death.

2/ WHAT I LIKED:
- The main thread/plot that links the different characters together. It was well made, especially in the first part.
- The different deaths. Some are really funny.
- The refreshing, original, mysterious, and funny events that happen throughout the story in the first part.
- The demise of the bad guy.

3/WHAT I DID NOT LIKE:
- The characterization of the bad guy. I wished he was more cunning and had a bigger purpose. He was mostly a psycho and that undermined the quality of the story.
- The revenge plot that happens too suddenly and is completed even more suddenly with the ML becoming some kind of super agent.
- The ending is in contradiction with its the motto of the drama. If you can only be alive if you are yourself and you should not fear failures but always try, the last soul jumping makes no sense as he decides to live for a reason that does not belong to him. Also, I did not understand why Death gave him a final chance on a lottery.

4/CHARACTERS:
- The stellar cast was excellent in serving this drama and portraying great characters. All the people the ML jumps in are interesting, endearing and convincing.
- FL : I liked her. She was cute but I did not really understand why what happened to her happened to her.

5/OST: I enjoyed it.

6/REWATCH VALUE:
Some good, fun, and emotional moments but the second part disappointed me so probably I won't rewatch.

7/OVERALL:
I was a little frustrated after watching this.The ending and final are unclear to me because if he gets what he gets in the end, how will he deal with the events that will happen? It is not really a proper ending. I would recommend it for the fun but I am still mixed about it. 8/10

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This slow burn romance give you a healing time.

1st of all those who doesn't like slow burn , slow pacing , healing drama you can avoid this !

Okay , let me tell you this drama is giving me every aspect of life - ups , downs , family , friends , works , sufferings, happiness, sadness everything. Every single thing , we always face in our lives, our survival, hardship , our achievements, our failure, our emotions, our feelings were well put and expressed to us in a beautiful meaningful way. You can find various aspects of life through the journey.

And if I talk about acting , acting are mind blowing. Every emotions displayed very well mannered, nothing seems over powering as we all know Ji Chang wook and shin hye sun being the marvelous actors. So acting wise it's just top class. And the other casts did very well. For me acting was hundreds.

Story telling process is very good. I found it Little slow but I loved the slowness , you can enjoy the flavour when you watch every episode and have every bite of comfort. Emotional moments were also shown very emotionally. It's giving me a comfortable warmth as if a blanket around myself.

Overall I would say this is an epic drama you can enjoy in winter under your blanket, having a cup of tea or coffee, stress free one hour , enjoying country side view. 10/10

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Just awful

Be aware that in the first episode the ML forces himself on the FL after murdering her whole family. She then revenges him and offs herself. Then they both restart three years in the past.
From that point we're supposed to root for them to have a redemption in their time loop second life?

I tried to give this the benefit of the doubt, but even several episodes in, he's trying to act like he's drawn to her and can't help himself and she tries to keep a distance but somehow still gets tangled with him?

The acting is awful, the script is nonsense, the makeup is horrible.
0/10 do not waste your time on this.

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STUNNING

I totally didn’t expect that I’m gonna like it so much, I started to watch it because I couldn’t find anything that would interest me at that moment, I saw familiar lady as a female lead so I decided to give it a shot ( don’t mean to be rude but I’m still kinda new to the kdramas world and don’t know too many actors)?????‍♀️ and you probably know that feeling when you finish few dramas that you in love with and you don’t know what to do afterwards. Stunning cast and performance, I really really enjoyed that show. I’m happy it was only 12 episodes otherwise it could’ve been boring, tho I’m a little confused how she came back, there was no reasoning behind it but I can let it slide because there is no other cons for me. Overally I’m really glad I watched it ?

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Best xianxia drama ever

One of my fave xianxia ever. At first really not that interested and felt like dropping it but im so thankful of my patience and stayed till the end cause now i cant get over on this drama. I also went to read the novel thank you to blizzardahm for translating almpst half of the novel thankyou from the bottom of my heart. Novel and the drama were both amazing tho there's a huge difference since on novel its much cruel and more angst than the drama. I also love zhou dongyu acting and xu kai and also tianqi. I love every character of this drama the ending is a bit dissapointing cause we dont get the moment we wanted the most shanggu and baijue getting married. I wish they had put on the drama on the part of the novel where bai jue died and it shows how depressed shanggu became. Anyways couldnt add anything more this will always remain my favorite no matter what.

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