Reviews

It weirdly works!

OVERALL
If you 1) are looking for a FL-likes-ML-first love story, 2) are into the older-guy, younger-girl trope, 3) like when FL is "innocent", and 4) can get over the fact that ML and FL meet when she' s a minor (and played by an actress who looks like she's 10), then this drama is right up your alley. If any of the above bother you...maybe still give it a try? It worked for me!

THE STORY
So, not going to lie, the premise of this drama is everything I hate. I'm really not into stories where the FL pathetically pines for the ML for 2/3 of the drama, I don't like FLs that are "innocent" (because 9/10 times, they're just childish and immature), and I'm not particularly into the older-guy/younger-girl trope. The only reason why I decided to give this drama a try is because of the controversy (it had pretty polarized reviews on YT). I wanted to see what everyone was talking about.

The main issue people had brought up is that FL starts out looking like a literal YOUNG child (definitely younger than the 14 she is supposed to be), while ML is the main actor (so adult actor), and it feels very wrong to see any scene between then two or imagine them getting together later on. Giving these comments, I was expecting something huge. But while it was off-putting, it wasn't that bad, imo. These scenes with the child actress are just a few flashbacks, and it's just FL liking ML (not the other way around), so...I just took at as a silly girl doing her thing.

I'm not going to say this is the drama of the year. The plot is very basic (almost a non-plot, revolving entirely around FL's unrequited feelings for ML...until they stop being unrequited), and the core of the story (a girl crushing over some guy for years) remains something I'm just not a fan of. But I was truly pleasantly surprised by some aspects of this show:

- First, FL is thankfully not the childish/immature type of "innocent" girl. I think the writers did a good job of giving her a bit of character, a bit of youthfulness, a bit of maturity. She feels very 3D and likeable.
- The writers also did pretty well in cutting out the pining, so FL doesn't look that obsessed with ML and her unrequited love is easier to swallow
- While I had trouble buying that FL started loving ML as a pre-teen (just looked liked admiration to me, like when girls become fans of idols), I liked how the drama shows ML finding out he likes FL and the extent to which she loves him. Overall, the relationship between the two is also very sweet and caring, and rooted in respect. It's a bit cringey sometimes, but on the good side of cringe.
- The secondary characters are all pretty cool additions to the show (which is rare, they're usually useless and annoying). I LOVED the relationship between FL and her brother, as well as FL and her parents. ML's friends were fun too!
- The ending scene is honestly the funniest innovation of a common cliché ever. I loved it!
- Finally, the overall vibes of the show are totally my style. No childish quirks or annoying music. Feels more mature and raw.

Bottom line: I didn't expect to enjoy this drama and I did, so if you're like me, just give it a try!

THE ACTING
Good, all around. I love Zhao Lusi. Nothing else to say haha ML was also pretty impressive, and it was my first time seeing him. The child actress was great too (but she did look WAY too young for the part). On the chemistry department...it was okay. Could have been better, imo, if the writing focused a bit less on FL's age and her being young.

THE MUSIC
Alright, I guess, though nothing I'd listen to on my own!

REWATCH VALUE
Oh, it's high. I've already rewatched it once (with some skipping, I won't lie, but still)!

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Don’t watch this if you’ve finished watching Story of Kunning Palace

i had a high expectation towards this one, and if you looking at the ratings and comments section, it’s all about praising this drama.

But..

I watched this after finishing SOKP, and it leads to a dissatisfaction.

i keep comparing these two dramas.

i swear i’m not biased since i’m a big fans of Xu Kai and i like Jing Tian from Legend of Zhuo Hua.

so, in my opinion, DON’T WATCH THIS AFTER SOKP. you have to watch it beforehand.

I believe if I watched this first, i will really really love it.

so i olny give 7 to this one (i tend to give 10 for dramas that i really2 love and not speeding up any scene at all like SOKP, yet in WOL I watched this with 2x speed after 15eps).

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Castaway Music and Romance but instead we got so much more...

This drama is all about priorities and is so much more than another music Cast Away Diva.... Don´t get me wrong I love my idol music dramas more than most people do and this does have some of that but what makes this drama excellent is how it mixes dreams, and family abuse with fond family and friendship, killer secrets, a psychopath or two... and a side of romance in such a beautiful way.

Foremost this is a slice of life drama featuring a story about family abuse, found family and trying to escape....
Then comes the story about fighting for ones dreams in a world full of betrayals but also beautiful friendships
First after that comes the romance part of the story. To be honest I would have wanted another 4 episodes devoted to music and romance, but the mix in this was otherwise pretty well balanced.

There are almost over the top annoying characters or low comedy elements as far as my eyes could see... The two that had that type of characteristics had a job to do to get the story ruling to their invigorating annoying traits actually field a purpose. Making me accept (hate) them just the way they where as they indeed showed how dangerous being a **** when facing kids trapped in families where they are abused can be.

The main villain in this drama is very well written perfectly evil, smart, knows the rules and knows exactly how to avoid punishment. Our diva is a true diva with a story, the agency director a jerk, our female lead is bad ass and fun and lovable all at once. The male lead has this great mix of hot- cold, reserved... The second male lead is precious and clueless and just so much fun to watch. The found families are just so adorable, I love em I truly do, the sisemace also top top top... And the hot and cold romance has some pretty good chemistry and lovely lines but is just overshadowed by the rest both in term of story and measured in screen time.

Defiantly a drama I recommend to most, just be prepared for both darkness and fluff...

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Best kdrama of 2023

This is probably my favorite 2023 kdrama. It really just had me by the first episode, where we saw the childhood backstory of our two leads. It was heart-breaking but also beautiful seeing how they went from simple classmates who judged each other to two people who stood with each other against the world.

I was a little nervous going into this, since the premise of “a girl gets stranded on and island and wants to become a pop star when she returns to civilization” seems sort of like a goofy premise…but the first episode completely dispelled all my worries. There are stakes in this, for sure. There’s the familial abuse plot, which was what I was most invested in, and I really loved how we got a “found family” aspect amidst all of it.

I also just loved the dynamic between our characters after the time jump. You had our leads, who had amazing chemistry despite one of their identities being hidden. It’s really a testament to great acting and directing that most people started shipping them so early on. And despite a bumpy road at the start, they grew into a communicative, trusting relationship where you could see how much they wanted to protect each other. It’s really refreshing that how real and human all the characters seemed: they tried to stay kind but sometimes wavered out of fear and made selfish decisions, or it could be something as simple as they tried to lie but weren’t very good at it.

The side characters were all well-rounded as well. The second male lead had his own backstory and emotional growth — although I do think his part in the love triangle was unnecessary, but it was good that it wasn't blown out of proportion — and the family members also played their part in the story, with their own heart-warming backstory. It was beautiful. Even Ranjoo had her journey of becoming a singer and her fall from fame, which tied together with Mokha.

I admit I cared a little less about this plot; don’t get me wrong, I LOVED all the songs — both actresses are so immensely talented and the songs are definitely new additions to my playlist — but the ickiness of the entertainment industry’s power struggles, rude fans, pushy reporters and press conferences…I think I would’ve been happier with less of it.

Overall, I still really loved this one. In addition to great characters and story, you can tell a lot of thought went into the cinematography and set design (I looked into an art print in one of the shots and it totally had symbolic meaning) and it really just added that much more to the atmosphere. Definitely recommend this one.

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In love

This is my first review...
I never wrote a review to any drama but i had to write one for this....
Can't explain how much i loved this drama..
Everything which is needed in a drama is there in this one..
Story is exceptional... And portrayed soo well by the actors...

Romance and chemistry is soooooo good between the leads.... And the revenge part is shown very well......

This story leaves a good msg that...... Karma is a bit#h.....

Just wanna say.....
Don't skip this drama... And without thinking twice... Just go for it....

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Perfectly Sweet Revenge

Thoroughly enjoyable series. Maybe found one episode that was a bit weak but otherwise, it's a really fun ride. Didn't expect much when I started but I'm glad I picked it up!

The FL is an exceptionally talented artist who was adopted into her family and always felt like an outcast. One day after being betrayed by her step-mother, she ends up in an accident, passing away and waking up 1 year in the past. She becomes determined to rewrite her mistakes and get revenge starting with cancelling her wedding. The background set in the first episode felt a bit tedious but has relevant information that the FL later uses to exact her revenge.

The ML is a welcome green flag and made the perfect partner in crime throughout the series.

All the actors did a great job, especially the negative characters that brought the necessary spice to the show.

The ending was so perfect. Almost like a fairytale. And yet I didn't see it coming. I loved the plot twists the show introduced and the theme song is catchy as heck!

Definitely recommend watching this series!

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Castaway Diva??

So first off all this is hands down one of the top 5 best kdramas I’ve watched this year, the casting was amazing and my fav CHJ did amazing ?. I will say that the abusive dad storyline was dragged out abit and it was really getting on my nerves just for him to off himself gosh? but anyway overall I really enjoyed the first ep hooked me and the child actors did amazing. Each character was likeable apart from the biological dads but most of all my favs mokgeoli couple~so cute!! But we were deffo robbed of so many more romantic moments but at least we got a kiss they had such good chemistry??. I hope that the rating for this drama will increase I think it deserves at least an 8.8! However again really enjoyed it and hope more projects like this come and yh I enjoyed it?

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One of the Best Music Themed Drama — but it has more

The best elements of this drama is music. Park Eunbin kill it with her voice. She and Lee Re performs one of the best non singer playing a singer in any K-drama ever. They really sound like diva and show their emotion through singing really well. Every singing casts also sound so good, the songs are good, the soundtracks are perfect. For me, it is the best music themed K-drama after Dream High, but it's even crazier because no professional singer cast as singer in this drama!

The casting are perfect. Similarity between the teen casts and the adult casts are insane. They look similar, have similar gazes and smile, they even sound similar! Just by seeing the first episode I can know who they will become in their adult version. Lee Re and Moon Woo Jin are spectacular actors. They build a very strong base for this drama. Their adult story become significant and rich in emotion because of the story presented by them so genuinely and tastefully.

Lots of parallels and foreshadows used in this drama. So much detail but not everything are mentioned blatantly, it's subtle. It's make some people who miss the detail read the story in different ways. Especially during the arc of "finding Kiho". (Personally I enjoy the healthy discussion and debate it brings during the airing of the show. It's a conversation starter.)

From all cast, I think Jong Hyeop's acting shining through. How can a person talking using his eyes? He definitely do that. Every longing, love, pain, joy, he monologing using his eyes. His emotional scenes are impactful. His laugh is infectious.

The things I'm not really like is the lowkey triangle love. I feel that unnecessary. Even if Woohak love Mokha as best friend only, the story still goes well. Another element is the props and makeup they use in the island, they're highly unrealistic. I can accept they are sea trash, but the quality is not consistent. Sometimes Mokha is dirty, tanned, with still good clothes. Other times she wear her old teens clothes with fair and good skin condition. But I love the other part of this drama. So I easily pass these elements as, "Well, it's a K-drama."

Important to know, this drama has so many elements, from dream, romance, music, family, crime, friendship, mentor-pupil, lil bit mystery and suspense. In my opinion it has nice balance. Just don't hoping too much on only one or two elements, you will disapointed. It has many elements with only 12 episode, so the time for each element is limited. And every characters are important. They will get their share of screentime.

At the end, this is a good drama, made with care, with good production, good actors, interesting story. I left this drama with a big smile in my face.

And I know, that I will listen to the songs from this drama for a long-long time ❤

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too good to miss

i watched the movie again

Thanks to the director who is also the film scriptwriter, the brilliant screenplay has interesting & touching twist and turns and great (sometimes even humourous) dialogue/movie lines.

it is really a great film about joe, the ingenious screenplay gradually reveal how the ordinary but sunny character guy is loved and missed by his friends and deeply by Bokeh around him

The main characters are all acting great. Tithiya shines in her acting as lovely Bokeh in the movie who has deep and subtle feeling for Joe.

Also tributes to the other supporting cast: the movie team, ohm, liew, moms of pae and joe, and the principal in the movie.

The film touches our heart as it entails puppy love and teenage/youthful times in school setting we all experience and treasure, other loving memory, things we yearn or pursue and hope for but missed, forgiveness, acceptance and other subtle feelings, even some philosophical issue like how we value a friend's worth

Lovely Bokeh learns to greet Pae with apology at the end of movie, i do not want to regret withholding my feeling for liking this great film and make apology later

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Beautiful visuals with horrendous story writing

Oh man has this become a bore. I have hung on for 10 episodes expecting it to pick up once the plot got its momentum but it has not and I do not have it in me to keep trying anymore. This show is about an obsessed ghost that attached himself to one woman and followed all of her reincarnations until one was finally able to remember him and he can kill her as revenge for her having killed him in her past life. This gets a bit messy when he finds himself drawn to this woman that is so much like the version of her he fell in love with. We have seen this same premise done over and over again lately so this show brings nothing new to your screen.

First, the cinematography and production teams did a great job as this is a beautiful drama to watch and the main couple is stunning. But that does not make up for the unremarkable story. The reincarnated lovers is something that has been seen a lot lately, as well as enemies to lovers. I have no problem with either of those tropes if the story is told well and keeps me engaged but this just does not do that. The characters are boring, both in modern time and in the Joseon period, there is no chemistry between the two to make you believe they are lovers and no engrossing story to keep you interested in how they end up. The show keeps regurgitating the same past story over and over again as if you have the memory of a peanut and can't recall what was seen the previous episode. And the snippet they repeatedly show jumps around in time and isnt even interesting or complete so seeing it over and over again is fatiguing as the viewer. They flash back frequently to their past life but not in order of events so even three quarters into the show they have not actually given you any information beyond what you found out in the first episode.

Then you have modern times which started a bit more interesting but has no focus either. The female lead is an amazing firefighter but only for the first two episodes, then she becomes some weak damsel in distress. The male lead takes over the body of a famous actor who has landed an important part in a drama but then that plot is dropped as well. A rival actor tries to run down the female lead and then is killed in a car accident which is ruled as suicide because of a note with no investigation. The problematic second female lead is just there to be obnoxious and comes and goes as the writers seem to need her to push the plot. So many storylines that are picked up and then abandoned. It's just all a jumbled up mess with no clear or logical direction which most viewers could put up with if the main couple had amazing chemistry but they do not, even the kiss seemed like he was kissing a dead fish!

Even the acting is not great. I loved the male lead in Shooting Stars but here he is lifeless and dull. His actor alter ego was annoying but far more interesting and that unfortunately only lasted for about 15 minutes of screen time. The biggest issue however is the female lead. I don't know if it is the character or the actress that sinks this for me but either way she really tanks the show. Her reactions either feel far too much or far too little and she shows no affection toward the male lead at all. The main antagonist, whom really does not present himself until about episode 10 is easy to hate but there is not enough reasoning for me to believe that this person would hang around for 1500 years for revenge.

Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

edit: after having skimmed the last 4 episodes I am completely confident in my earlier review and highly recommend you skip this one

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Only from watching the first episode I knew I would love it!!!
It gives me LITA vibes but the plot has nothing in common. First of all, the story is unconventional, really interesting and kind of mysterious.
I can definitely say that this isn't a series for people who like "slow burn" but as I see it, the fact that it has a fast plot matches its thyme.
Moreover, many people believe that there should have been more information about each character's life but, in my opinion this would have destroyed the suspense of the episodes. Making scenarios and trying to understand the characters' feelings and motivations it's much more interesting than knowing every single detail about their lives. (And that's what it makes it different from the other bl series.)

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Did we watch the same thing?

I was reading other reviews after having finished this and am honestly wondering if I even watched the same thing as many of the other reviewers. I watched season one of Sweet Home a couple months ago so this show was newer to me than for those that watched it 3 years ago when it first came out, still I was excited when I saw a second season coming since the first left on a cliff hanger.

The first season was not shy about killing people off and I was actually frustrated that almost all my favorite characters had died while the ones I did not like; the selfish and useless ones, were the ones that survived. All the trailers for this season had Hyun Soo as the focus so I expected to find him as the main focus. But he was not, nor were any of the other survivors from season one. The show honestly did not have a main focus at all, it started so many subplots and answered not one by its conclusion making this this season only a prequel for the next season which is utterly frustrating. Kdramas are rarely given second seasons let alone third seasons mostly because they are able to complete full stories in the typical 16 episodes. SO having a second season that did absolutely nothing for the show feels odd.

The acting here was fine and the actors did great with the script they were given but from episodes 4-8 I found myself fast forwarding through more than half the episodes out of boredom. They decided to focus on new characters which would have been fine had they picked a couple but they jumped and skipped to what felt like irrelevant characters that you never had any time to build any attachment for so their scenes were just boring. The only two characters that seemed to stand out from the new bunch were Chan Young and Chief Ji, as well as the psycho doctor. But again, there was the beginning of a subplot with no follow through or conclusion so all you are left with is confusion and questions. I suppose that is what they want so you will pick up the next season but it does not make for a good show.

My advice would be to wait and watch this with season 3 when it comes out and you might find this more appealing but if you watch it now you'll be frustrated and annoyed. Characters you were attached to from last season are either sidelined or killed in ridiculous ways, the monsters go from being interesting and unique to carbon copies of each other that look like blobs of cement, and there is a one year time jump and nothing is explained about that year. Just wait to watch this when they decide to give you an actual story and not this weird in between.

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My Biggest Heartbreaking ?

Sebelum gue bisa move on, gue akan ngomongin drama ini keseluruh penjuru dunia ??? Coz i do really LOVE this drama, the acting and chemistry is amazing, and each episodes always keeps you anticipating karena dari posternya udah keliatan cuy mc nya kaga tatap-tatapan???? LIKE CMON, btw I love how they focused on the patriarchal society that existed in the time rather than focusing solely in the romance aspect. The characters are so well written ❣️this is my biggest heartbreaking kdrama setelah Moon Lover ? The soundtracks are beautiful to hear, salah satu favku Duk-im Bubbly Girl and im still listening to it now ☺️? i hate to say it but i dont recommend to rewatch this bcause, THIS IS HURTING ME A LOT

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First Episode you made FL dislikable
she not only leave him, but also moved on from him dating random cheaters while he is still waiting, its just UNFAIR.
it not just leaving her boyfriend but looking down on him.
she would have never return to him if she wasn't catching abusing her own people
because she look down on others which make her most dislikable
Ji Chang Wook will portray very humble kind man while FL will be shown as someone who should not be with at all.
we all know that in the end girl who try to commit suicide will tell the world how Great this FL is and how she is wrong for getting bullied and look down upon by GREAT FL and then our Fl will get all her fame back like there is no other photographer in Korea to fulfil her left space.
JI CHANG WOOK why are you taking this kind of dumb roles, do you like playing Dumb roles because it takes no effort and will make easy Money ?

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Villainous behaviour

I've watched a few Chinese dramas and many were from this company.

I liked the female lead's portrayal as a blind person. I thought it was realistic - so well done. From some angles, the male lead looked like Ji Chang Wook and, initially, I wondered if he had a younger brother who was a star in China ?

All the actors were good - leads and supports.

What I liked - the story was convoluted in parts, but OK. The villainous fiancé was hilarious (don't think he was meant to be!) - he was a caricature of all the villainous boyfriends in all the over the top stories. The duplicitous best friend was a nice touch too. The scene where Lin Xin Tong went into the bedroom was well done.
What I didn't like: Lin Xin Tong's childishness in the beginning. Some of the final scenes were silly.

I would recommend watching it, as it's a nice story with a bit of mystery, romance and comeuppance.

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