Reviews

what are you waiting for !!!! it’s a banger

The casting for the characters in the drama "Castaway Diva" was exceptionally well-done. I have been an avid kdrama viewer for many years, but I have never been as impressed by the casting as I was with this drama. From the younger versions of the characters to the older ones, every actor brought their role to life and made the story even more captivating. It was also surprising to see how emotional and touching the story was, as it brought tears to my eyes. I didn't have high expectations going into the drama, but I was completely blown away by both the cast and the story. I highly recommend this drama to others.

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A good show to clear your head:)

What I can say about this show:
Now that I have finished this show, i can tell my whole judgement. This show is actually good, its not as bad as what most people say in the comments. I’ve been here since release of ep 3 so i can safely tell you that if your planning to watch this don’t get discouraged and go ahead and watch it. It’s a good watch, don’t over analyze it that much:)

Chemistry:
I LOVE IT, Nana and Jang Dongyoon made me stay. Their chemistry is EVERYTHING, hoping for more projects of them together. They compliment each other really well!!

Plotwise:
Now for plotwise, I do agree that it’s not the best of all. It had a good and promising start but the writing went sloppy towards the end.. There was
A LOT of filler moments which sometimes I enjoyed and sometimes not. There was also plenty of moments where something actually progresses but not really, basically dragging it. Like for example they finally knew smth in ep 12 which felt like should’ve been revealed in ep 8 or 9. It was a slow yet just right paced, i really think they could’ve pulled it off if it had proper scriptwriting or writing in terms of transitioning each scenes/story.. Personally it felt like there was two different writers who couldn’t agree on one thing. It made sense but also doesn’t. Anyways, Its good and enjoyable, they had some scenes that made me go 🤯


FINAL STATEMENT:
It’s one of my favorite comfort show and would watch again. Despite everything, I’ll miss this show.

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Less really is more

"Kotaro Lives Alone is an excellent example of all the reasons why #JDramas long ago became my favourites. Emotionally moving without sentimentality, addressing a difficult subject with unflinching directness and sensitivity, a lot of laughs and doing so in ten 23-minute episodes. Imagining a KDrama version is a frightening thought. The episodes, despite being short NEVER felt rushed, just complete and dvoid of bloat. The emotioal impact was real, but unlike so many K Dramas, it was delivered with subtlety and understatement - often greatly increasing it's impact. All the actors delivered, but Kawahara Eito was AMAZING.

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Dramas are an escape from the reality not a tool to express your jealousy

I want to start saying that I don’t watch a lot of dramas in general , but sometimes when life becomes a bit hard a like to watch dramas that makes me escape the reality and for me this drama became really fast my comfort show because for me watching a drama ( whatever genre it is ) is a good thing to do when you feel unhappy, for there, in a drama, you may find encouragement and comfort. And S&F its just like that, i really like the chemistry between the leads, i love how the characters are presented and I especially love the beautiful landscapes that are shown and especially in the episode 6, and i am positive that as the story progresses we will see even more captivating things. As for the acting, I love how both leads act, they are really natural and their chemistry is through the roof, but then again i feel like Yu shuxin has chemistry with everyone, she just have that talent, same with Xu Kai.
I will write another review in the end.

So to the people that are just not grown up enough to be sincere please at least be grown up
To not leave negative comments and reviews without even watching it and leave your jealousy aside and move on!

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Another Mix & Earth drama

Watch this of course to watch our 2 ML Mix & Earth. Kinda glad to watch this. Heartwarming story with a few flaw....

Really interesting to read the summary given by MDL: "Jim is an ordinary guy running a Hainanese chicken rice diner. One night, he meets breezy Wen when he stays past closing drunk. Brought together by fate that night, intangible feelings arise. Neither can stop thinking about the other despite Jim's efforts to remain unattached." Yeah we can feel their 'lightning' from the start, is all over the place...

But this drama also talk about friendship, family & grief.
* The relationship between Li Ming & Jim. How Jim handle the rebellious teenager Li Ming, while in the same time Li Ming actually also think about his future & how not to put more burden to his uncle Jim again.
* The relationship between Jim & Wen. How Jim manage to finally let go his past & move forward with Wen. And also how Wen finally manage his relationship with his ex-boyfriend. And also about how Jim finally dare & owned his feeling toward Wen.
* The relationship between Heart's family. How he finally make peace with his family with the help of Li Ming
* The heartwarming relationship between Kaipa & his mother. Also how Kaipa manage his feeling with Jim.
* And finally the relationship between Li Ming & his mother....

Now the (+) point that I like about this drama:
+ The chemistry between our lead, Mix & Earth & also Fourth & Gemini. Their chemistry never a miss.
+ The starting point of Li Ming & Heart relationship. Really love how Li Ming can get Heart out of his shell & be friend with him and finally something more.
+ How the writer fix all the family problem in the drama. Like Heart & his family, or Li Ming & his mother.
+ The mature Li Ming. Oh how much I like to see how Li Ming think about his future & making decision about it. What I don’t like, he become rebellious teenager instead talking to his family. I think Jim & his mother actually someone he can have discussion with. But yeah i understand, teenager & their hormones, sometimes think everyone can't understand their feeling.
+ Finally last not but least, Saleng & Praew relationships. How Saleng dare to take the challenge & responsibility for Praew when she's pregnant.

The only thing that I feel lack, not a flaw, just something missing is.... How much I wish Jim make goodbye party for his dinner with his usual customers, instead just one table with his 'family'. I think if they close the curtain with Jim's goodbye party it's gonna be perfect.

Overall this really heartwarming story but with a flaw that I'll gonna write down below. Like usual with SPOILER ALERT. So read review below with ur own risk.












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--- SPOILER ALERT!!! ---
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The flaw:
- How Heart become Mute??? I mean yes he's deaf, but he's not deaf since birth. It supposed he became sick & deaf just a few years ago, not since birth or childhood. That's mean Heart supposedly can talk, cause he can hear before... The deaf people become mute if that's happen since birth or baby, cause they can't hear so they can't learn to talk. But if that's happen in ur adulthood u supposed be able to talk. The writer supposed to make Heart DON'T WANT TO TALK instead CAN'T TALK.
- The weird ending.... I don’t know what happened in the last 1 / 2 ep. It happened so damn fast. One min Jim still only say Wen is his friend, although he already open his heart to welcome Wen, but the next min Wen suddenly become his boyfriend. Oh come on... I know that's the set up, but that's also one lazy writing there. This is the why I lower the score a little bit.
- The decision for Jim to open Chicken Rice Foodtruck. Isn't it he just talk to Wen about his dream to actually open Chicken restaurant or not. But instead taking a break to thinking about ur dream & future, he just jump into what familiar for him.

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Frostbite.

The Frozen Surface is a dark and suspenseful northeastern revival mystery thriller. It is set in the desolate, melancholic northeastern suburbs of Harbin, Heilongjiang, a part of China known for its dastardly dry and freezing cold winters. The dialogue is mostly in Northeastern dialect, which I am not familiar with enough to comment on its authenticity. Despite its wild natural beauty, this area is among the slowest growing economic regions in China. The general lack of economic opportunity and the dominance of a largely industrial manufacturing base forms the general remote backdrop for this narrative. The timeline alternates between the 1990s which were very difficult times and 2005, when things are notably better but still a far cry from China's advanced coastal cities.

The violent death of a crime boss and two others throws Lanhe County in disarray as various vested interests scramble to position for the fallout. There are almost too many suspects from a jilted lover, mob rivals, the nephew and heir apparent, the ex-wife and an ex-con; all with motive, means and opportunity. Police captain Guan Yu and his team investigates under time pressure to solve this high profile case. The waters are further muddied with an unexpected confession. Very much like 2023's hit The Long Season, the social commentary about the cruel times, hardships the main characters endure and the desperate, heartless and at times tragic choices they make eclipses the mystery itself.

This drama starts out very well but tries to do too many things. What anchors it is fantastic acting by Chen Jianbin (Guan Yu) and Hu Jin (Yang Si). I thoroughly enjoyed their cat and mouse and how a silent empathy developed between them. Even though some characters do bad things, I feel quite sorry for them. There are also a number of absolutely crazy, bloody and scarily violent maniacs in this drama that adds to the growing sense of dread as the plot builds to a climax. Unfortunately, the main villain's origin story isn't empathetic and they made too many bad decisions along the way to qualify as smart. Some plot points are too obvious or are revealed too early. The logic of many characters collapses into the final two episodes and the plot does not tie together tightly at the end. By then, both the director or scriptwriter's brain must have succumbed to frostbite because so many things just don't make sense or are not well explained.

This is a drama that starts slowly but builds up suspense quite well in the first half. The character stories are quite interesting but sad and they are well portrayed by veteran actors. Unfortunately the mystery part crashes at the end. As an avid mystery watcher, I can only rate this a 6.5/10.0. Viewers who are more interested in the setting and the character stories may rate it a bit higher.

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It's like a warm hug in drama form

I didn't realize this was a mini-series when I first started it, but once I realized I was a bit skeptical that with only ten twenty-two or so minute episodes, I wouldn't be able to grow that much of an attachment to the characters and stories. Most ten-episode J-Dramas are three times that length after all. Fortunately, that wasn't the case.

I loved every episode of this show, and Himari and Shin's relationship was actually so freaking adorable that I don't even know how to express how much I loved them. I don't know quite how to describe it, but I think this show feels like a warm hug. I wasn't expecting such a comforting drama, but that's what I found. And honestly, I'm not sure it can be classified as a drama, because there isn't much drama in it. Even with the lack of dramatic conflict, I was never bored, the story didn't need petty villains, absurd plot twists, or shockbait to be good, and I loved that.

Himari and Shin were the highlight of the show of course. I loved seeing the steady progression of their relationship from two people married for convenience, to a couple that really love and care for each other. There aren't any second leads to drive them apart or miscommunication to drive us insane, just two loveable weirdo's falling for each other. And once they really are together, they have a shockingly healthy relationship, which isn't always common in dramaland. Himari having to learn to care not only about others, but also for herself, and Shin reinforcing that was an absolute delight to watch.

And while I loved them as a couple, both of their individual characters were interesting in their own rights too. I was glad that Shin wasn't the stoic emotionless male lead, and that Himari wasn't your typical naive female lead, it was a breath of fresh air.
There are a few side characters too, which aid to the plot when necessary, but didn't have much story on their own, I didn't mind that though, it gave us more time with the leads.

Though I think that the short length of the drama overall worked, there were a couple of plot points I think could have been fleshed out a little better if we had been given one or two more episodes. And that's pretty much my only real gripe with the whole thing.

Marry Me! was such a simple drama overall, and was an incredibly comforting watch. I had a stupid smile on my face for pretty much the whole show, which by the way, I finished in like one sitting. I'll probably be back for a rewatch too.

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I think this is a show that works if it's your style of show.

As for me, I was a bit skeptical seeing the overacting and temperamental adult Young Phil and Sam Dal when they're introduced. There were too many drunk crying scenes, too. However, when they showed how Sam Dal and Young Phil deal their inner conflicts as the story goes, I feel more sympathy. Especially, Shin Hae Sun's painful acts broke my heart. With Ji Chang Wook and Shin Hae Sun’s ability to create chemistry, I wish the romance is more captivating. Camping trip is fine – but I'm dying for some spiciness, just my preference.

Except for the useless love triangle, I enjoyed the romance and family conflicts, but Young Phil and Sam Dal’s work life were neglected and was only useful as a plot device in the beginning. The resolution is fine, but like Sam Dal's as a photographer could’ve been utilized more. I have to admit that I was more tuned into the side characters stories more than our leads’. I love the neighborhood camaraderie of the Jeju villagers. They delivered all the emotions very naturally, be it humor, grief, or love. Each one of them has a heartwarming story, I love Sam Dal's mom the most.

-Jan 2024, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

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Tae Sumi undeservedly villainised

1. TAE SUMI
My main complaint about this drama is how they villainised Tae Sumi for "abandoning" a child she never agreed to raise. She went through the entire pregnancy, put her life on hold and future in danger just to give birth to a child she didn't want - for the sake of her ex-boyfriend who desparately wanted to keep the baby. And she's turned into a villain for it. Young-woo calls her a bad mother, when Sumi never was her mother, except biologically. It's sad that Young-woo grew up without a mother, but Sumi had every right to choose not to be part of Young-woo's life. If anyone's at fault, it's Gwangho (Young-woo's father) as much as I like him.

2. JUNHO X YOUNWOO
I also have complaints about Youngwoo and Junho's romance. I think it was unnecessary, but it's not a K-drama without a romance. I don't like how Junho acted like Youngwoo did something wrong by not assuming they're together. They never made their relationship official, and yet he expected an autistic person to assume that they were in a relationship just because they'd been on a few dates. He also said something like "why would I do those things if we weren't together?" in reference to the dates Young-woo took him on. It was unnecessarily cruel to basically tell her that he didn't enjoy the activities she chose and he only did them for her sake.
It's nice that they tried to represent a possible relationship between an autistic and allistic person, but for me the relationship felt forced and unnatural, with little chemistry.
Also touching on the point of romance, the Sooyeon x Minwoo side romance was also unnecessary and disappointing. Minwoo wasn't a good person and it was displeasing to see Sooyeon develop feelings for him.

3. ASD REPRESENTATION
Yet another low-masking savant character, but I'd say the representation overall was not bad and they explained several autistic traits (e.g. Youngwoo's way of self-regulating by counting when transitioning from one place to another because it decreases the feeling of overwhelm, and her preference for kimbap because it prevents the shock of unexpected textures and tastes) instead of just throwing them in without explaining why she does those things.
Something I didn't like was that there was inconsistency in her autistic traits... She is super sensitive to physical touch and can't even hold hands, but is okay with kissing? I suppose it could be possible but it was so weird to me, like the producers ignored her sensory sensitivities so that they could make a cute kiss scene.
They made Youngwoo's character very cutesy, which I have mixed feelings about but they still showed that she faced rejection and discrimination at all stages of life despite having "cute autism".
One thing that would have been nice is if the drama showed Geurami having ADHD or some form of neurodivergence, as a way to show how neurodivergent people tend to make friends more easily with each other.

4. WHAT I LIKED
I liked the characters on their own and the comedic scenes, and the cases were enjoyable. The music was lovely and the whole aesthetic of the drama was very pleasant. I don't have much else to add, but overall it was enjoyable which is why I've rated it high despite the complaints.

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Haters, leave this wonderful drama alone

The original soundtrack, which flawlessly encapsulates the tone and ambiance of the drama, is similarly amazing.

The opening of the drama is beautiful. The characters have chemistry and naturally come together.

The actors really gave life to their characters

The banter of Yue Qi and Yue JinZhao makes your heart flutter that you also want to pinch the cheeks of Qi too.

The comedic tone of the drama captivates you at the very start to want more.

The drama deserve a very high rating for it's unique plot.

I'm sad that a certain cult mostly Zhao Lusi Fans would not stop delusional war in almost all china celebrity fandom.

They attack this by rating every episodes even the unreleased one. They stoop petty low.

Don't bring your delusional that your idol is the only great one. Let others enjoy other drama.

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Worth Watching

I begin watching this drama since episode 1 and the story become more interesting as the episode goes on. At first, I didn’t understand why Gu Won see humans as insignificant. He make deals with people who are desperate for a wish so they could give him their souls in return (a contract that will put humans in hell) I asked myself, is he really not a villain? He doesn’t care if a parent go to hell wishing their kids to be healthy and fine. However, I realized this is the moral of humans. We humans are selfish and we want something that is out of our control. Gu Won knew the greediness of human Nature so he thinks humans are insignificant.

Gu Won became a demon because in his past, he lost the woman he loved… the selfish of human nature being greedy for their lives and sacrifice another. Gu Won had to see her being killed and went rampage.

I understand why Gu Won had to think of humans that way because a villain is not born but created. People might think he is evil because he is a demon but his past made him that way.

I love it when Gu Won recite the Bible verse in episode 15. In the past, he couldn’t get married to the woman he loved because of different status/rank. Falling in love with someone in upper rank could cause you to get killed. This is why the two couple came to love Catholicism (the reason why Gu Won had a cross necklace).

“Everyone is born equal no matter where they come from or what their rank are”

Overall, I enjoy this drama being mystery and triller into it. Both the ML and FL are great actors. Their chemistry and their beautiful faces made the drama more aesthetic and enjoyable. I started to ship these two main leads. Age doesn’t matter <3

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