Reviews

An exploration of what it means to be family

One of the best character-driven stories I've had the pleasure to watch, and a fantastic longform essay about family and love in Chinese culture. Legit recognized my relatives and parents in the characters and I really felt like I was seeing my own growing up experiences mirrored here.

I absolutely love how focused on character development this story was. It was very rewarding witnessing their growth, and I loved having hunches about a character's behavior and having it turn out to be true.

Originally, I felt that the female characters were quite poorly written because almost all the moms are major assholes, but that was a bit premature. I'm still in disagreement with the scriptwriters about Mingyue's mom and Chen Ting. I think they hadn't done enough to make up for the selfishness and hurt that they'd caused. But then again, their kids are fine with it. So maybe I'm judging too harshly because of my own parental baggage? Anyway. A bit draggy at the end and lots of unbelievable plot twists but overall I really loved this 😭😭😭

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Strong start but a bit boring in the middle

Starts out strong but quickly plateaus, which is a real pity because I love the premise. Why do kdramas have to be so long??? The long runtime per episode, the number of episodes etc, mean that inevitably, the show just starts throwing in stalling scenes and episodes that don't need to be there. Second gripe is female lead -- her characterization is all over the place. SIGH...... such a pity because I love the premise.

I really liked that this was about an already established couple. It's rare to have established couples in fiction and it was fun to see the dynamic between the two leads.

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Interesting portrayal of North Korea

This started out really strong but I almost totally lost interest by the end. One of the most intriguing part of the drama for me was the portrayal of North Korea. It was very nuanced and I learned that one of the screenwriters was a defector. Other than the interesting setting, the strength and appeal of the drama lay in the lighthearted and heartwarming day-to-day life of the main couple while in NK, before it was bogged down by all the other plots. Side character Gu Seung-jun stole the show the minute he showed up. Why did they kill him off 😭 and in such a lame way lol. I really struggled to like the heroine at first. She is very wealthy and her disdain (played to comedic effect) of the NK citizens' much less affluent lifestyle read too much like classism... It was a bit uncomfortable. With that said, the main couple were really cute and sweet and the hero was very good at doing the intense and wistful stare. Overall, very predictable and cliche, but lighthearted and has some heartwarming moments. Great production values and music and great wardrobe for the cast too.

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A weird ass drama that turned out to be my fave of the year

So maybe you’ve seen people talking about Behind Your Touch but you’re not quite sure whether you wanna watch a kdrama where the central premise involves reading people’s minds by grabbing their asses. Well I freakin' loved this show and here’s why I want everyone who’s been holding back on starting this one to check it out.

Behind Your Touch tells the story of Bong Ye Bon, a small town veterinarian who one night during a meteor shower acquires the ability to see people’s memories -- but only if she touches their butts. She teams up with Detective Moon Jang-yeol, a Seoul detective banished to the town because of a screw up, to solve crimes and soon they’re desperately scrambling to solve the mystery of her mother's death and to stop a serial killer. To give you a flavor for the tone of the show, their meet cute is when he arrests her for trying to test out her powers by touching a pickpocket’s behind on the bus.

There's a lot of bizarre comedy like when the FL’s best friend develops a crushes on the ML and keeps serenading him with an accordian. She has a girl squad who she calls on to provide muscle as needed, like the scene where they deliberately start a fight at a political rally so the FL can run through the crowd and touch as many asses as possible. The squad includes a token man who is subbing for his pregnant sister and refers to the 2FL as EONNI! There’s also a screamingly funny 2521 parody that goes on for half the drama (people were referring to it as 5551) and even a throwaway gag referencing a famous artwork by Yoko Ono. The small town residents speak in an impenetrable dialect that has to be translated for Detective Moon who can't understand what anyone is saying.

But even in the early episodes (which are the funniest), there’s elements of a disturbing thriller. For example, the very first scene of the drama shows poor Ye Bon watching her mother’s body getting pulled out of a car in the ocean. And the first episode also features a scene with a woman being dragged through the dirt by her hair

Also know that while there are some very sweet and deeply heartfelt moments and some heart fluttering moments, this is not a romance. While I was dying for something serious to go down between the leads, it's only ever alluded to. I still loved them together. And there are secondary romances which are delightfully bonkers.

As the drama goes on it become less and less about zany wacky shenanigans and more and more about omg where did he stick that knife. The body count is truly impressive and major characters who we deeply care about die which is a bold choice for the creators and raises the stakes for catching the killer.

Unfortunately the thriller part of the story eventually goes off the rails. This writing team has never produced a thriller before and it shows. There's a lot of huge plot holes and implausibilities in the unsatisfactory final episode. It's really too damned bad because up to ep 15 I was absolutely riveted by this show and loving every minute of it.

In addition to the mostly excellent writing (except for the final episode) I want to shout out the performances. Han Ji Min and Lee Min Ki are absolutely perfect as our chaotic crime fighting duo. They handle the comedy and tragedy equally well. The entire cast is stellar, especially the actor who portrays the killer. I also love the Mujin police officers and the local shop owners and fishermen.

My biggest problem with the drama was episode 16 which failed to close some gigantic plotholes and wasted time with cameos from people we didn't care about instead of giving us a proper ending for the main couple.

Despite all that I freakin' loved this show and rate it my favorite watch of the year. I need LMK and HJM in a proper romance together asap.

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Watching this is like having a crush again

This show is pure dopamine; it's like falling in love or going through your first crush again. Has you squealing every time there's ANY development or even interaction between the two leads, and reminds me of the feeling of watching Business Proposal (another show that's like a pure dopamine shot). And all this is thanks to the amazing acting by the two leads, Zhao Lusi and Chen Zheyuan. The two of them were just SO good together. Chen Zheyuan's character is so dreamy, help 🥺

With that being said, I still skipped a lot of scenes. I'm not a fluff person and just find fluff, coming-of-age, student life, first love etc., to be a bit too low stakes to keep me 100% invested. The pacing is (imo) pretty slow and really drags. I also struggled with how cutesy ZLS's character acted in the first 4-6 episodes, I ended up skipping those.

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VERY funny! VERY mysterious and super UNDERRATED!!!!

FIRST OF ALLL, this show heavily reminded me of the most beloved Kdrama, Strong Women Bong Soon, as both dramas had similar elements of: thriller/crime, psychopath, powers/fantasy, COMEDY, revenge, smart ML and dumb FL. The only difference is that BYT isn't really flooded with the stereotypical kdrama romance you'd see but the show is STILL a must-watch!! if you are the type of person who has patience and really loves mystery/thriller with a mixture of comedy and fantasy this show is for you!!

The drama was really good, there were a lot of stupid funny references to the 2521 and my liberation notes and the mixture of the genres was great, along side the characters too!! But if you are the type of person who isnt keen on watching heavy thriller don't worry since this kdrama is quite lighthearted.

The only issue I faced during this drama, was the unnecessary stretch of the final reveal. there was a lot of time wasted in this show and kept double-guessing the characters. the reveal was quite pointless since you'd probably figure out the real psycho on your own not to mention that final reveal and outcome were VERY rushed.

I love Lee Minki!! his acting was amazing in this show and his looks, characteristics, and personality were top notch, his comedic scenes with Yebum (FL) were really funny but also very cute! His character is incredibly smart and funny which keeps the flow of the drama smooth! Bravo Lee Minki!!!

seonwoo (SML, also known as suho from EXO) was a very interesting character... his persona and his whole character were just pure mystery!!!! the only downside to this was that because of the type of character he was. I wasn't able to fully appreciate his character since I'd always get doubtful :((( this was my first time seeing EXO suho act and can't lie he was pretty amazing at it! his chemistry with the FL was super cute and bubbly, ((I was REALLY upset at their tragic end :( my heart goes out for him and his very miserable life))

the FL was a little annoying at times and dumb but I assume thats how the director wanted it to be to add spice! her acting was really good and SUUUPER funny! her funny outbursts in the most unexpected situations were a great charm to the character! her chemistry with the ML and SML was amazing. though people might have expected more romance between her and the ML, i felt that it was very well balanced. the idea of being frenemies (friends/enemies) was a really nice touch, which makes you love the show even more. There was honestly no need to have them to develop romantic feelings otherwise it would've ruined the show!! they were perfect the way they were.

I was always looking forward to the weekends, and now I'll miss it. I enjoyed the kdrama alot and im hoping that this kdrama receives the love and attention it deserves because it's so underrated!!!

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A light and short series

I like that story make sense , realistic and light in the same time
Pros
Because the series is short thier is no side stories but the side characters stories are also funny and enjoyable
Although the espoide is only 30 minutes the main character have a past and you can feel thier problems deeply
This kdrama suitable for winter session especially or any one love winter vibes
I can say its a sclie of life drama with moments make you cry sometimes

Cons
You know when you want to solve the misunderstood that happen i hate this part in any kdrama this drama have a little bit of this but not all drama is a misunderstood so it will not bother you

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A show that is genre bending - cannot simply box it

This show made me laugh, gave me some truly tense moments, kept me on the edge, made me love Lee Min Ki and actively hate some characters. This show cannot not be boxed into a genre. It's definitely NOT a rom, it's a com, very much so in the fist half, and then as it progresses, less and less so until it morphs into a bloody, gory, psycological crime thriller. One of the few shows that made the crime thriller stick the landing. However, had they infused some humour into catching the killer, the show would have truly stood out. As for romance, don't look for it. There is barely any, it's lip service. They wasted the trememdous chemistry between Han Ji Min and Lee Min Ki, and I absolutely hated the last five minutes of this show. But boy, Lee Min Ki looked edibly good, especially in the last four episodes. One star just for that . One extra star for sensitvely handling a topic that could have been very crude but fabulously handled.
7.5 for a decent crime thriller and Lee Min Ki and Han Ji Min and the adorable Joo Min-Kyung and making successful jokes butt jokes without being corny.

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nice slice of life series

Overall: I enjoyed two high school friends and their changing relationship dynamics. Aired 8 episodes about 20 minutes each on Netflix Asia (and then more widely released on Neflix once it was finished airing).

Content Warnings: manhandling, dub/non con touching, punch

What I Liked
- cute and sweet moments
- few funny moments like Yamato's blocks with other people
- that Yamato did try to communicate and was clear with that teen who expressed interest in him
- supportive classmates
- supportive non cliche female characters
- character growth with not being a go between for the present
- production value

Room For Improvement
- the multitude of interruptions
- Yamato was a bit aggressive though he did apologize once
- very tropey (multiple kabedons and running scenes as examples), getting sick from the rain
- the initial reluctance in nurse's office/dead fish lip presses

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My initial thoughts on SOTB

May contain Spoilers:

Binge-watched it a few days back. I am actually liking this new move by Netflix to drop all episodes at one-go.

Captivating drama with excellent cinematography and fantastic action sequences and great acting from everyone. TBH it was more movie-like and less of a drama. Backed by great background score and sharp editing for Season 1. The story reminded true to its Wild Wild West theme and the Japanese occupation of Korea. Very raw and realistic. So kindly don't expect any candy-floss romance or fantasy. They showed things as they are. But in between all that there were some good character building and humour and most importantly the need to carry on the fight to re-claim the land from the Japanese.

There were only three important woman characters and all three of them had a specific purpose within the story. Also I am very impressed that all of them had their parts within the action sequences.

Special mention of the character Eon Nyeon (and Lee Ho-jung - the actress who played it). It was a brilliant idea to develop that character as the perfect foil to the ML and the actress did a splendid job. TBH the amount of action this girl did in this drama is either on par or more than what Woo do-hwan did in Bloodhounds or Kim Nam Gil himself did in this drama. (these are the only 2023 dramas that I have watched so far to compare with).

The ending is being criticised in online forums but I get the feeling that there is definitely a season 2. So for those of you planning to watch - be prepared for the open-ending and even if there is no season 2 I am still ok with the ending as it is realistic given the historical context. But hopefully there is a season 2 to satisfy all of us.

And finally the review is incomplete without mentioning Kim Nam Gil. He totally rocked in this drama and was cool/suave with all those guns/rifles handling and the action sequences. I am personally very happy with his drama choices. Also kudos to him for giving woman characters in his dramas equal space/more prominence in the sense that they all come across as strong characters and hold themselves up very well on their own. I have noticed this from his 2017 drama - Live Up to Your Name up until this 2023 drama.

Only thing to add is - Romance and KNG is not meant to be I guess. After this drama - I am giving up even the remotest idea that he will in future do a reasonable romance role. (I personally think even in LUTYN they added in that possible happy ending as an after-thought).

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I had some expectations...

If you're looking for a historical drama about the foundation Goguryeo then this drama is NOT it. This drama was mostly about the in palace melodrama and conflict. Furthermore, it's important to know that this drama included a handful of fantasy elements sprinkled around all over it, so don't expect it to be grounded to reality. Han Hye Jin who played the female lead as Soh Seo No was a poor cast choice. Soh Seo No needed a more rigid and stubborn looking actress to better fit the character.

A weak incapable king, a greedy prince and an underdog illegitimate prince going aimlessly in circles. Wars, fights and action were surprisingly and disappointingly scarce for a never-ending 81 episodes historical drama about the founders of Goguryeo. Which is why we had little to no planning or strategy for these wars. That one big war at the end against another nation that we waited ages for, was condensed down to just 1 singular episode of utter disappointment. In fact, the entire last episode was extremely rushed and we were given a joke of a wrap up. They had all the time in the world and they couldn't make a decent send off. The last episode was absolutely stripped off genuine emotions. It robs you the wrong way after you had gone through 81 episodes. Speaking of which, they were trying too hard to reach the 81 mark with prolonged uncut full-scenes repeated flashbacks! You would lose your mind watching it serializing.

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