Reviews

Confusing…

This show was realistic. But sometimes… that’s not always what you want in a show. I do think that the love triangle was a cute idea, as it shows how difficult love can really be. The only problem I had with it, is how long the carried it on for.

From episode 1 to almost the end of the 16 episodes, it felt as the main character barely existed. The two bonded well, until the side chacter came in. It’s almost like he completely forgot about the main chatcter, which I definitely didn’t like.

On the last few episodes.. it felt so absolutely random. At that point, I was so done with it all and had no hope. Until he woke up one random day and had feelings for him?? I didn’t understand.

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Let’s be real- it wasn’t that good.

If you’re looking for a short love story with no deep meaning, this is the one for you. Things went WAY too fast. It was cute, but as someone who likes to thing about the meanings of what I’m watching, this had no real story.

The actors were cute together, but it didn’t feel real. Watching this, it felt like one of those rip off reality TV series where the director is quite obviously telling them how to act.

I did like the idea of the Love Mate. I think the story was the thing that tied this show really together. How they met was cute, and I can totally see how people really enjoyed this.

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A refreshing drama to make you think about life.

If you want a show to put you through every emotion, ‘Twinkling Watermelon’ is the ones for you. I can say with no regrets that this is easily the series that has made me the happiest out of the hundreds I’ve watched. Saying that, throughout the duration of watching it, there was always a mixed emotion, such as confusion, sadness, even anger; but overall, joy pushed through these and became everlasting.

Without spoiling anything, this drama, as said by many others, felt refreshing to watch with its unique characters, bright colours, and cheerful music. Although it discussed some dark topics, such as death, depression, and abuse, the show was quite cheerful. For me, I am an emotional person who loves watching dramas that put me through many emotions, since I feel more connected. If you’re a sentimental one like me, this will always be a show I’d recommend.

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"If we could all be braver and accept what's different from us, the world would be a better place"

Teenage Psychic was a charming drama about Xiao Zhen, a sixteen-year-old medium who could communicate with the dead and worked in a temple. Due to her long nights performing her Holy Maiden duties she often ran late to school and fell asleep during class and in a coffin in between classes. Everything changed when Ah Le took her hand to help her as she climbed over the school wall to avoid the tardy monitors.

Xiao Zhen’s father died when she was small and her mother works abroad. Her temple co-workers form an odd made family with her. Teacher Kim is her guardian and boss which can be awkward. Two comic relief helpers function as brothers or oddball cousins. Her relationship with Teacher Kim is complicated as he pushes Xiao Zhen to bring in customers and sell blessings to keep his struggling temple afloat. When Xiao Zhen meets Ah Le they form a connection that grows throughout the drama. Both are part of the drama club that is determining what sort of rendition they want to do of Romeo and Juliet. In each episode, Xiao Zhen helps to resolve conflicts both spiritual and earthly. Grief, bravery, lies for good and bad, reconciliation, gratitude for loved ones, and loss are all tackled. Xiao Zhen learns there is more to life than the dead as this teenager begins to engage in her own life and learn about love.

If Teenage Psychic had a drawback, it would be Guo Shu Yao’s acting. She often mumbled and pouted which could be distracting. Even more distracting was her disastrous haircut or wig. Maybe it was based on a manhwa, but for some reason they made her as unattractive as they possibly could. Her performances were stronger when she confidently performed her job communicating with the dead. Kent Tsai as Ah Le was a bottle of sunshine as he supported Xiao Zhen. The couple was cute together. The quirky drama club learned to put aside their fears of someone different and embrace Xiao Zhen as Ah Le had. Fear and intolerance of those who were different was addressed a couple of times for different characters. I wasn’t a huge fan of the play scenes, but that was a minor quibble.

Despite some of the acting issues, Teenage Psychic was mostly upbeat and entertaining as it focused on friendship, first love, and helping those in need—living or dead. Unfortunately, it took a turn that felt inorganic near the end, but still made it work. Through love Xiao Zhen discovered her smile and fought for balance in her life. This drama was flawed but I found it to be a relaxing watch.

25 January 2024

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Pretty good

I only started watrching for Ding Yuxi but the actress was also quite cute. Plot is simple and done well. Entertaining overall. Pretty bingewatchable imo. 100% recommended if you like Ding Yuxi.
Music is very basic and can be cringe. The part I really like is the character development of the female lead. Its just so cute and heartwarming to see a smart female lead with some common sense.

The male lead is also predictable and cute. Don't like the second ML much but that's my personal preference.
Villain role is so well done that now I want to choke the actress to death. Supporting characters also do a really good job.

And the ending really makes sense to me. It fit the characters and felt like a good wrap for all characters.
Could've been a movie but i guess shows give more freedom of development and a good way to create mystery at the end of each episode.

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Blood: A memorable masterpiece in the vampire genre. ~ Ending explained.

I wrote this a long time ago. I tried to make it as insightful as possible. Thank you for reading in advance!

Blood is not your typical vampire story from the get-go because of its take on vampires and the medical setting. It's philosophical and even artsy. It really is a matter of being hooked by the storyline and atmosphere. The music is a mix of old school techno, violon and harpsichord to evoke the atmosphere of Victorian vampires. The main cast and many other characters are kind of edgy from the vibe they give off but it is perfectly fitting to the style of the drama. They were unique and unforgettable. If you cannot handle anything spiritual, you might want to stay away from Blood.

Look back at the whole drama to understand the ending. Blood is actual genius.

Copy-pasted a part of Maryena's review (the one on the top) which I wanted to include here : "The plot was very unpredictable. That's why I liked its story. Also the story was full of moral, humanity and most importantly, Blood is brimming with life philosophies. Add to this the other invaluable life lessons that may be culled from the drama. To name a few, faith in God during adversity, compassion or empathy for the sick and dying; fleeting nature of life and vain things like power and money; moral science or the upholding of the ethics and standards of one's profession."

I really like the synopsis, so I will also copy it here in case some of you didn't read it : "Park Ji Sang is a doctor specializing in hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery in the best cancer research hospital in the country. He is also a vampire. Despite seeming cold and unfeeling, Ji Sang masks his soft heart and inner pain and yearns for closeness with people. He believes very strongly in the sanctity of human life and suppresses his thirst for blood to treat terminally ill patients and save lives. (his internal conflict >>>)

Among his colleagues is Yoo Ri Ta, a hotshot physician who entered medical school at the age of 17 and is also the niece of the chaebol group chairman who owns the hospital. Ri Ta is highly capable but snooty and prideful, yet Ji Sang finds himself falling for her. He also gets drawn into a conflict between good and evil as he encounters Lee Jae Wook, a two-faced hospital chief who gains everyone's trust with his gentle demeanor, but inwardly harbors a dangerous ambition for power and a talent for cruelty."

Side note: The romance was sweet and the support between the characters was very refreshing, as there was no useless toxicity between them. Finally, a real team with real teamwork.

Special effects: You must keep in mind that this is a 2015 supernatural drama from KBS2. However, the fights were so well choreographed and I LOVED it when they transformed. It was so cool and original.

Acting: All the cast is commendable, truly. Ji Jin Hee's Lee Jae Wook is one of the best villains I have ever witnessed. Ahn Jae Hyun's Park Ji Sang is by far my favorite vampire and his little smirk was everything (also like the tone of his voice and his facial expressions were so captivating to me?). Moreover I appreciate how stoic he is because when he cracks, it accentuates the shift and gives a real intensity. On the other hand, Rita is a fun character. People blaming Ahn Jae Hyun and Goo Hye Sun must have a personal problem with them or their characters. As AJH's first main role, it must have been very hard first of all. Please watch the press conference to have an idea of what they went through. I couldn't bear GHS in BOF because I couldn't bear anything at all in this drama, it was way too cringe for me. But here I loved her (I mean she's not the most likeable in the first few eps tho but she did a great job at that lol). Please pay attention to their emotional changes all throughout. If the drama is not for you, just drop it and get a life.

For more details on GHS's acting in the first episodes :

https://www.soompi.com/article/704949wpp/blood-team-voices-their-concern-regarding-criticisms-of-goo-hye-suns-acting

Teasers I felt the need to share as well as a press conference :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWCjhD3BqTI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MogMyyGLhY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyVMYcYEAOE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkpcA9AgtZs

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Remember the last episodes when Park Ji Sang was talking to Chief Jung and the conversation between Dr. Choi and Dr. Jung about him. That he could live without a heart and he has to die to cultivate the cure for 20-30mins. And because his blood is auto-genesis, he can live again. Because this is a theory and not been proven that's why everyone is concerned that it might fail. He is not that affected much with the sunrise because they could have injected the decomposed blood already and it won't react anymore to a dead infected and because he is of pure blood he can heal faster. Him being alive at the end means the antibody worked, and it was successful making him stronger than ever even as a human. So Yoo Ri Ta is all in to the experiment and when Park Ji Sang died of course they have to revive his body and observe him. It can take longer before his body will be totally cured and by the time he woke up Yoo Ri Ta is gone to Kochenia already as planned. So when she saw Park Ji Sang there it is as if she already knew that it was him but was too amazed to react or in a dreamy state when she realized that the cure was real. The end.

So, this is the logical explanation. But if you don't mind me sharing more of my thoughts :

By the end, he is human. His heart stopped beating, but he transcended humanity. His blood is enough for him to live and that's what saved him. He'll die as a human. The writer certainly knew that only a few people would understand and love the drama for what it really is "beyond the surface". They could have shown everything that happened in between to give the viewers clear explanations, but it would then ruin the atmosphere, all the build up, and the theme of the drama would become meaningless. Blood stayed true to itself. It was supposed to feel like a miracle.

From the beginning, they try to find a cure (Ji Sang's mother). This is how it ends. Ji Sang and his mother's dream to make him human became a reality.

The drama started in Kochenia (note that the very first scene is important), and ended in Kochenia.

Remember the dialogue between Rita and Ji Sang on the rooftop, it also fits perfectly.

The reference to Beauty and the Beast.

The vampires came from Kochenia originally. But them appearing at the same place, at the same time where Rita is... strange right? Now remember Jae Wook's monologue before he died. He represents the devils (the painting at his home is quite self-explanatory already) whereas Ji Sang represents the angels. Blood is a battle between light and shadow. Look at the main poster now. Ji Sang's sudden appearance as Rita's savior was brilliant (just like in the past!).

All in all, this is like 10 parallels in one scene. One (and most) may say that it's a stupid ending and that it doesn't make any sense, but it really does. I found it really beautiful. Not to mention the scenery was gorgeous and Ji Sang became even more handsome?? I really love Rita too... she made me cry hard before this scene came - Ji Sang's reaction to Hyun Woo's death was also heartbreaking. Both had an awesome character development throughout the drama and suffered so much.

Vincenzo was written by the same person, and it only confirmed my thoughts about Blood with biblical references being placed here and there. I clearly don't love it as much as I love Blood but it was really good. Vincenzo is definitely not as serious, but it gave me good laughs. I still find the robot in Blood to be one of the funniest things I have ever seen in a drama though.

Honestly, it couldn't be more obvious with all the religious things in the drama, even in the poster you can notice crosses. When I first saw the ending, I wasn't even confused. It was a surprise yes, but somehow, it immediately made sense for me. By always seeking too much rationality in fiction, you lose yourself and miss a lot. Blood is the best take on vampires to this day, and it is not only a vampire series for teenagers like Twilight.

Yet, even though I said it is obvious, it is all very subtle.

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Very insightful analysis from a Korean philosopher : https://m.post.naver.com/viewer/postView.nhn?memberNo=134246&volumeNo=1335670&vType=VERTICAL

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You might like the Korean version better-I did

I only recently was able to see this drama on Viki, and since it was considered so pivotal to Cdrama's global emergence, , I figured I'd watch it to anchor my fan repertoire...plus I figured it would be cool to see Li Shishi's early work since she was terrific in Journey to Love---but I found myself constantly comparing this original to the Korean remake Moonlovers Scarlet Heart Ryeo--which changes up how she get's there and get's back, and the characterizations of the princes, but otherwise follows the storyline to the end. I found the K version to be more melodramatic and more heartbreaking and engaging--I found myself fast forwarding through this C version. So you may want to consider finding the K version (I found it on Bilibili) to experience this story.

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Major Leads w/ NO chemistry and recycled storyline

As many reviewers mentioned, this is not worth the time unless you're looking for a new xianxia drama or you're a huge fan of Zhao Lusi. I skipped a through a lot. It was ok since there weren't any other good dramas to watch. But I won't rewatch it.

The Good:
- costumes
- production quality was decent

The Bad:
- plot/storyline was literally recycled and blended copy cat parts of Ashes of Love, Eternal Love, Love & Destiny. Too many similarities it was distracting
- the main issue I have is the utter lack of chemistry between the lead couple. I really like the ML and FL actors in their other works. But they just fell flat in this one. I just didn't feel the emotional yearning to root for them as a couple, which is essential for these types of dramas (i.e. Ashes of Love, Eternal Love)
- the ML (Wang An Yu) : I've only seen this actor in one other series To Fly w/ You, his acting was so good and his chemistry w/ the FL (Song Zu Er) was off the charts. In this Last Immortal series he just could not pull off the screen presence of a stoic, larger than life High God of Chaos. He came across as goofy and too soft hearted, and his acting lacked depth.
- the FL (Zhao Lu Si) - tends to be type-casted w/ as the cutesy, gutsy female lead. Which she played that part well as A Yin. But when she became the Lord Phoenix Feng Yin - she was not likeable at all. She didn't quite have the depth to play the jaded, badass female heroine w/ conflicted soft yearning heart for her true love (for example Yang Mi in Eternal Love). She jsut came across as an icy statue.

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My journey with "Unwilling Bride"

was...how should i put it? A different one. My rating is sorely based on that i only enjoyed the first six episodes and the writing went downhill with a lot of repetitive behaviour and situations. It grew boring fast so i had to speed forward and 16 episodes after that was a lot for me. But let me compliment at how stunning Mik Thongraya & Pooklook looked together on-screen and how well they portrayed their characters. The ML Kadethaen is really famous for being one of the steadfast, passionate and honest heroes of Lakhornland and i give props to Mik for handling this character with such charm throughout this lakhorn. Nackarin portrayed by Guy Ratchanont was another intriguing character as soon as he got introduced- he was a Anti-hero with a dark background, he made the story interesting with his revenge plot.

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Really enjoyed this rom com

I've watched several cdramas now and this by far is one my favorite
It has all the sweetness and emotions played well by all the different couples.
It has real life issues, complications and playfulness: Harassment, power plays, marriage, sacrifice, motherhood/fatherhood, meaning of family, custody

The female characters are portrayed well with strong character.
The FL character is so strong and able to sacrifice so much for her son and the one she loves
The ML is playful and plays his character well coming from an abandoned background to a wealthy adoptive family overseas.

REally like the BFF of the FL lead and the sister! They were both portrayed well! Strong yet loving!
The son has great lines and says them well! He really steals the show!

And the ending is a good wrap up, not like some of them where the ending leaves feeling jilted or not complete.

Lastly, the scene where they show the other cdrama our FL & ML were in is so comical! Writer has good sense of humor

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Si te gustan los kdramas debes de ver este

Comencé este kdrama el año pasado y lo dejé porque no era el momento adecuado (la primera media hora me pareció aburrida). Volví a retomarlo con el inicio del año y dije que me daría dos episodios y si no me gustaba lo dejaba. Al final salgo fascinada con la historia y con un Crush con el ML que se ha visto acrecentado por su actuación en Death's Game.

La historia cuesta arrancar y meterte en el mundo t comprender toda la realidad paralela que han creado. Sin embargo, una vez que te vas poco a poco introduciendo, te vas enganchando a la historia.
Considero que no es la mejor actuación de la FL , me gustó más en The Smile has Left your Eyes que este kdrama. ML a veces eclipsa a la FL. No he visto mucha química pese a supuestamente estar ambos enamorados. No se si es porque entre ambos actores sería incómodo.... Eso sí, no me ha importado nada para el desarrollo de la historia y que considero que la historia de amor en esta primera parte es irrelevante (tengo más esperanzas con la actriz de la segunda parte...).
La segunda parte se viene fuerte...

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Insanely dramatic

In a way the drama reminded me of 2016 kdramas where theres a LOT of twist, and I liked it. I didn’t read the webtoon so this is entirely just on the drama.

Story isnt very new but it was enjoyable.

Acting from the cast was very subpar imo, Jung Yoo Min carried it heavily for me. Lee Minyoung cannot act but its the type of cannot act that adds a lot of comedic value so it doesn’t ruin the drama.

The leads have great chemistry despite Sunghoon mostly beingly consistent with his limited facial expressions lol but paired with Jung Yoomin they made it fantastic!

The side plot of the power battle adds flair to the drama as both parties are rich so it was moreso a battle of morals than anything which I liked.

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Cute comedy

I liked the show! It was a quick, fun, and cute comedy with 42 episodes, each only 5 minutes long. What's great about this show is that it is 100% comedy, and the looks of the FL don't even matter. Cute fits best. I also appreciate that it is full of comedy and not mixed with any political plot, unlike "Different Princess," which was a complete mess. I just expected funny, clumsy, and stupid jokes, with a touch of romance, and this show delivered perfectly.

I enjoyed the way the story played out with the back-and-forth between the two periods. It was a great way to keep me engaged and interested in the plot. And what made it even better was that I got to see the same couple have a happy ending! It was such a satisfying conclusion to the story. Overall, I was impressed with how the author was able to weave together these different elements so seamlessly.

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