Reviews

A journey of trust.

"I recently watched 'A Journey to Love,' and I must say it was a captivating and heartwarming experience. The storyline was beautifully crafted, weaving emotions seamlessly. The characters were well-developed, making it easy to connect with their journeys. The cinematography was stunning, enhancing the overall visual appeal. The soundtrack complemented the scenes perfectly, creating an immersive atmosphere. Kudos to the cast and crew for delivering a memorable drama that left a lasting impact. I highly recommend 'A Journey to Love' to anyone seeking a touching and well-executed love story."

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Stellar Performance Throughout, Fell Short at The Finale

SPOILER-FREE PART
Following the hype surrounding this drama, I decided to give it a watch.. and oh boy did they put something into it, cause' I couldn’t keep my eyes off the screen!

Looking at Moving’s (무빙) synopsis alone, although the premise isn’t entirely new to cinema, it definitely stands as one of the more well-produced ones, both in cinematography and script. For me, there were no complaints for the cinematography, as lighting, shots, angles, ambiance, and special effects were all done immaculately. I am an avid fan of dramas that don’t shy away from gore and the knitty-gritty details. The drama may be a bit extreme and bloody, but ultimately contributes to its incredible ambiance.

Acting-wise, you can just look at the lineup and can’t help feel content that you’re not wasting your time seeing emotionless characters and botched crying scenes. Also, can we just give a quick round of applause to the young actors? Admittedly, Korean cinema is filled with so many young talents, and Moving greatly demonstrated their potential to the world.

SPOILERS AHEAD
Looking at the plot, the synopsis is as straightforward as it can be. It doesn’t take much effort to understand what’s going on, courtesy of the dramas excellent worldbuilding and pacing, which sits at a comfortable level that keeps you on the edge of your seat, eyes locked in and all— at the right time. It also leaves you anticipating for the next episode to come out— a suspense factor, which is something I feel most action and thriller dramas lack nowadays, along with its unpredictability. Character relationships developed steadily and didn’t feel awkward or draggy. Despite that, the flow of the drama felt a bit off and confusing at times (at least for me). Keep in mind that this drama is flashback galore. We spend a good chunk in the past, so the present timeline feels more like a side story than the main. Adding to this, certain important events that occur throughout the drama tend to appear in mixed order, so not chronilogically, so it takes a bit of effort piecing this event with another and constructing a mental timeline of what events took place first, and how it later contributes to a future event. To my disappointment, I was left with quite a lot of plot holes, even after the story wrapped up, from the SCAs ultimate goal (why are they actively hiring someone to assassinate the Korean supernaturals, the breeding program that was briefly mentioned by the leader of the NIS, Kim Dooshik’s whereabouts, Ki-Soo’s ankle scar and its relation to the temp teacher, the headmasters assassination, and the mysterious identity shrouding the bullied classmate.

I would’ve also liked to see more of Gang-Hoon, as he had a rather weak presence throughout the drama. His story was just so.. lackluster compared to Bong-Seok’s and Hee-Soo’s.

Meanwhile, the ending felt rushed and just.. incomplete. I didn’t read the original webtoon, but I heard that the drama adaptation strayed quite a bit from its source material, so if there was a chance to revise the script, I would’ve definitely extended the drama’s length to tie up some of those loose ends.

If you’re unfamiliar with how I rate a drama’s storyline, check out my bio! Today’s ride scores a C!

SPOILER-FREE PART
Nonetheless, it was an awesome binge. Was it a masterpiece? No. However, it was still well worth the watch. I would recommend Moving for anyone. After all, you really can’t go wrong with a good superhero-themed drama to comfort your inner child with.

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SO FREAKING DISAPPOINTED!!! 10/10

I'm literally so mad because I can't believe that it's over after one freaking episode! I came from Tiktok, academic rivals to lvoers and after hearing the premise I wanted to watch it but now I'm wanting more... Omg the ML was so good, honestly I had no clue in what I was going for but I legit pleasantly surprised at how refreshing the story was going to be. I loved the story between the leads and I loved how fast paced it was because usually I just hate Kdramas that spend too much time dragging shit out that I rlly was depressed when I found out the other episodes weren't going to be about them (second time in a row) !!! I loved the FL too, her backstory was rlly sweet, and the grandma omg... Guys I legit almost cried when the ML was talking with the grandma because she wanted to give him moneyyy ERRRRM my heart!!! I also almost cried when he went back to the grandma and cried to her, confessing everything (I love cute MLs) !!! I love this episode so much honestly it's way better than some dramas I've watched and that's saying ALOT. I love how straight to the point it got, obviously there could be more that they added like if this was those usual dramas in 6 episodes we'd have a kiss scene but like this was so refreshing that I didn't mind too much still... I was a little sad it ended so quickly... I wish if there's the same actors in the future they get together again! I love this take on romance, a bit of comedy and emotional aspects, I hope that there's more like this to come!!!

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Good For 1 Watch. Missing Some Emotional Stepping Stones.

Very general spoiler on the ending only. Definitely good for one watch but I may not rewatch as it wasn't very emotionally engaging for me. The fight scenes are great, intimacy is fairly realistic and there's more of it than the average Korean BL, the acting is strong (9.5/10 for the two leads, 7-8/10 for everyone else), and the plot-twist is surprising. I was glad I watched it but didn't feel completely satisfied afterwards, even though the ending is happy.

The review by Rent343 on MDL puts into words some of what I was feeling (my own notes are below this quoted excerpt): https://mydramalist.com/profile/Rent343/review/63835
"...I dunno, it felt like I was reading a sparknotes summary for a great novel. I got all the big facts/ plot points but the delivery took little to no time to make those facts emotionally significant..."

MY NOTES:
That's what I felt too- like it was the Sparknotes to a greater story. I missed the romantic build of the connection between the characters (both by text before they met and then after) so when conflict came, the stakes didn't feel as high as they could have. They still felt like a few-dates-old crush. I mentally knew they were in love because the audience was told so, and they were certainly cute/sweet to watch, but I didn't feel it emotionally. I was rooting for them and the plot-twist scene did tug at my heartstrings, but I kept feeling like too many chunks of the story were missing/skipped to feel fully connected and satisfied.

It didn't help that there was absolutely no sense of time. It felt like they had only known each other for a few days, which is why their love confessions didn't feel that strong. It's possible multiple weeks passed, but who knows!

Some side threads are annoyingly left in the air, like the reason behind the plot-twist. A character says they will tell another everything but the audience never gets to hear it!

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Honest Review

This series was good, it definitely had it moments, but here's my thoughts on the 4 main couple...

Ae & Pete - This was my favorite couple out of the 4, there story was more complex and had more depth to it then then others, they had little drama here and there but overall they were just two horny teens falling in love each other & they always looked at each other like they were going to devour each other and I loved it. I did love when Pete came out to his mom & at first she was crying but overall love him and wanted him to be happy, I love that they didn't make her the typical homophobic parent that a lot of BL's do. She even know Pete was dating Ae without him even telling her and she was just so happy.

Tin & Can - This is my least favorite couple (I haven't seen S2 so maybe my opinion will change) but Tin drove me crazy, sometimes I didn't want to finish because I couldn't watch with him anymore, and Can was just to whinny for me. What bothered me is Tin always told Pete that the "Thai program" kids are always dirty and looking for their money BUT when Tin started liking Can he literally bought him everything and got offended when Can said No, also he touched Can & let Can in his car after saying he was dirty, but didn't even apologize for saying that or saying he was wrong about the "program" kids.

Kla & No - We didn't really get to see their relationship much, we just know that P'No's brothers friend liked him, We seen Techno more with Can then we did we Kla, so I don't really have much to say

Tum & Tar - I don't understand their relationship so I don't have much about them either, I would've like to hear more on Tars story a little bit.

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I had to make up my own mind ...

There were such wildly mixed reviews of this show among BL friends in my community that I had to watch it myself to decide. And overall ... I liked it and admired what it tackled and how.
SUPERVISOR/SUBORDINATE DYNAMIC - First of all, I usually hate this plot, which sucks for me since it seems that so many Asian dramas love this premise. This, along with the high school kid and older person always gives me the ick because of the obvious power imbalances. Usually, I have to let this go while watching and just pretend it's a fantasy or that both are colleagues, not manager/employee, but it can be challenging. What I liked about this series is that even though it seemed to romanticize this at first, it did not lose the plot. Eventually, the real issues inherent in this dynamic came to a head and had to be addressed ... in multiple ways. It made the ick feel so much better. And in the end, the power dynamic was nullified to be a non-issue, so I felt better about shipping them.
INTERIORITY - I really loved how much we got of both characters and their private lives. Not some half-a**ed trauma flashback and extreme phobia. They both had issues that were ingrained and present from the start, persisted throughout the series, and was cause the 11th-hour breakup. It's perhaps one of my favorite BL breakups because I felt it made complete sense. I identified with the injuried party so much. Praise to Man and Ben for having to tackle so many emotionally nuanced scenes. While some may think Ben had to cry too much as Pat, I related to how he felt too much sometimes and had problems regulating his emotions because he cares so deeply about doing good work. I've been there!
SUPPORTING CAST - I loved seeing so many Lovely Writer favorites return, and in different ways. Up as the ex Put wasn't just a 2D cardboard cutout mean ex but someone who had his own faults and was slightly sad because of them. I almost didn't recognize Kenji as Toh ... and I felt he was underutilized. Zorzo was so fun as Ae, especially when she was paired with Bruce as Chot -- yay he got to play such a fun character this time around! They even gave redemption to one previously annoying character Ying. What a loveable bunch. ... But this brings us to a failure...
2ND COUPLE -- As many have said, Jaab & Jen's storyline had so much potential, but wasn't given any sort of resolution. Even if there's an idea of continuing their story later in a short or something, I felt we were still left hanging. One extra scene could've left viewers from feeling so unmoored. That said, they had a very hot kiss, and I think that's one reason we were left hanging on this.
UNDERSTATED HUMOR - While Chot and Ae gave me the best moments, there were a couple really unexpected, fun things that happened that made me actually laugh out loud with how real it was. One involved MLM, and if you've ever been on the receiving end of that pitch, you may also admire Pat's swift evasion strategy.
TIMELINE - There are maybe 2 major timejumps that happen. One is less obvious but once you notice one character's body changes then you can follow. This is more of a timelapse than a timejump, but because of this it may not be that obvious. I wasn't too confused but some sort of time markers would've been better. The second time jump I felt was absolutely earned and necessary. That said, because of that, I needed more from the 2nd Couple.
WORKPLACE DETAILS - I love workplace dramas where they actually work and we can see the ins and outs, the challenges, the strategries. Start-Up and Forecasting Love and Weather are both k-dramas that do that well. Lovely Writer was more about the industry than the work, but that still was fun. This one lets you in on the many levels of digital marketing, from concept, audience and budget to slideshow, pitch and execution. There's an element of entertainment in here also because they use influencers, and of course a bit of meta commentary about BL (although not as strong as in Lovely Writer). I love this ish! Only downside -- there was a bit TOO much office gossip & meanness at the beginning to the point it felt cartoonish. The thing is, I've dealt with narcissistic bosses, being used for being reliable, being underestimated, passed over or worse -- had accusations lobbed at me. So yes, there's definitely a truth to it.
PARENTS - As with in Lovely Writer, I think this series does intergenerational relationships well. Pat's parents were fully realized people .. while Jeng's was, well, a villain. That felt true to how Jeng's issues though. Some interesting scenes with Pat's parents, and their divorce is never judged.

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It's scifi with the human aspect.

This is the best "Moon" to date. The #Kdrama industry once again has proven that they can produce top notch #scifi productions. They never cease to amaze me on how they can keep the human aspect strong in their stories without it turning into a regular drama.

I highly recommend this!

You wouldn't even think it was an Asian production. They surpassed Hollywood here, hands down.

Thank you Viu for providing both a subtitled and dubbed versions. I enjoyed watching both versions. A great 2023 holiday gift for your subscribers.

And congratulations to the production team for giving the world a great film.

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Forever love (2023 miniseries) starring Dai Gao Zheng as Qin Mo Yao/ Zhou Mo and Chen Fang Tong as Lin Xin Tong is a well done mystery romance drama that offers great action scenes, a continuous game of cat and mouse with a constant pursuit, near captures, and repeated escapes between the lead antagonist Chi Shan, played by Hou Dong and the fabulous leading man Qin Mo. The cast did a good job bringing their characters to life and the tug of war concept is well written and executed. The leading couple has great chemistry and their romantic scenes are well delivered. The drama is very entertaining, enjoy it!

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good story but too long execution

overall the story is good and the comedy was really suitable with the drama. I really enjoy the opening credit scene on netflix, it really suits the vibes of this drama. The story was good but the main case too slow explained. I don't really like the kind of story that too long execution, but I like this drama because of the couple. They might not have strong chemistry in romance but their love-hate relationship really fun and enjoyable. I didn't expect that Lee Min-Ki will be suit the character, but turns out he did and he did it well. I like the character of dr. Bong because her innocent role suits well with the detective Moon character. I love them and will rewatch (but not for the long story execution and those plot twists)

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Watched for the leads

I watched this drama for both the leads and I was not disappointed in terms of the acting. The acting in this drama was really good.
Was up with the kiss scenes, both ML & FL can kiss as seen in their previous dramas so I’m guessing this was on the director and that was super disappointing, they had really good chemistry only to be let down by such mannequin kiss. Anyways luckily the story was good enough to let it slide. Now the plot was a little confusing at first with all the timeline changes and whatnot but after awhile you get the gist of it.
One of the reasons I didn’t rate this higher is because I refuse to accept the reason giving for why MinJu wanted to kill herself, claiming it’s depression, I disagree, IMO she wanted to kill herself because a boy didn’t like her back, when she came back in ep11 instead of Jun Hee, she was all well and good as long as Si Heon didn’t notice and continued to like her but when he finally realized she wasn’t Jun Hee all of a sudden she wants to kill herself, and also Si Heon and In Kyu were friends with her even before Jun Hee showed up, so that whole monologue of nobody talking to her and liking her was complete BS, In Kyu liked her but apparently that didn’t count because it wasn’t Si Heon, so I don’t agree with the reason giving for why she wanted to kill herself.
Anyways I don’t think I will be rewatching this but I recommend for a one time watch.

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A solid rom-com which is better than what the rating here suggests.

One of the best drama to come out this year. Glad I didn't change my mind halfway through because of the ratings. This drama knew exactly what it was and stuck with it till the end rather than confusing the audience with unnecessary conflicts which seems to be the trend these days.

I was skeptical at first. Always dropped Rowoon's other dramas except for 'Tomorrow'. But I loved both him and Yi hyun here so much. Both had a innocent charm about them. Which made wait for them each week. And the all other characters were unique and had their own personalities and goals. I always love the stories when it doesn't completely revolve around the main leads. The whole cast did an excellent job.

One thing that may go unnoticed is how well made this drama is. It is very well directed, cinematography is excellent, written without trying to outsmart it's own audience, and soundtrack which was memorable and lively.

If you're looking for a sweet, and heartfelt drama, definitely should give this one a try. Don't mind the ratings.

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