Completed
My Love from the Star
0 people found this review helpful
Oct 31, 2023
21 of 21 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

Watch Jun Ji Hyun and Kim Soo Hyun Shine!

The two leads (Jun Ji Hyun) and (Kim Soo Hyun) really keep this series afloat with their dynamic performances. There are a number of flaws and inconsistencies in the series, especially with the depictions of Do Min Joon as the alien who has been living in Korea for 400 years.

Do Min Joon seems to be a cross between E.T. and Superman in the sense that he seems to have been left behind and won’t be able to return home until our current time. He’s used a number of different identities, systematically “killing off” previous ones so as to not arouse suspicion that he’s an ageless alien living among humans. He’s also a bit like Superman in the sense that he has enhanced strength, speed, and hearing as well as the ability to stop time. With only three months left, he finds his abilities are becoming more unpredictable.

What is interesting about Do Min Joon, is that he appears to be a rather primitive alien in the sense that he’s not very long on wisdom. For a species that has mastered space travel as well as time manipulation, he doesn’t have much wisdom to share in how to live, thus demonstrating that his species is not very evolved. Do Min Joon is a bit temperamental, doesn’t like to be touched, and has some serious trust issues. In other words, he doesn’t trust anyone or find the need to do so.

Enter Cheon Song Yi, arguably the most popular actress in Korea, and she knows it. I lost count how many times she says to someone, “I’m Cheon Song Yi!” as if her very name demands attention, respect, and immediate capitulation to any request that she makes. She’s spoiled, conceited, immature, a bit dimwitted, and yet, she is also incredibly captivating and loves with all of her heart. It cannot be understated how well Jun Ji Hyun plays this part. To take a character with so many unappealing characteristics and to make that character so appealing and likable demonstrates Jun Ji Hyun’s mastery. Cheon Song Yi is also a horrendous tease! Lee Hui Kyung is the son of a powerfully rich family and a long childhood friend who’s had eyes for nobody by Cheon Song Yi. And yet, despite not having any feelings for him, she strings him along because she simply loves the attention. She also has a gold digger for a mother who mooches off her wealth, believing that her daughter owes her everything. I can’t imagine a worse person for a parent. Parents who treat their children like property and commodities aren’t parents at all. They’re parasites.

Most of the series is spent with Cheon Song Yi and Do Min Joon teasing and dancing around each other, obvious that they like each other. Do Min Joon acts as though he could care less and finds Cheon Song Yi annoying. They end up neighbors, each living in massive penthouses. Cheon Song Yi finds Do Min Joon cold and aloof, but as someone who demands and commands attention from everyone, she initially sets out to find a way to get Do Min Joon’s.
Now, Do Min Joon does have a viable reason for not getting romantically involved. Well, he has a couple of reasons. First, he’s leaving in three months, so what’s the point of getting into a relationship? And second, his body chemistry prevents him from prolonged physical touching, especially kissing which incapacitates him to the point of a high fever and requires long periods of time to recover. In that sense, they are incompatible.

The charm of the series is watching these two beloved characters figure out a way to acquire the courage to simply confess their feelings for each other before it’s too late. And the chemistry between Jun Ji Hyun and Kim Soo Hyun is undeniable as well as being the central reason why the series works.

On a less effective side story, we have the brother of Lee Hui Kyung as a very bland and uninteresting sociopath who has a long history of murdering anyone who stands in his way. Actor Shin Sung Rok was the least impressive to me of the mostly talented cast. His portrayal just as no flavor or uniqueness to it. He’s almost robotic and wooden that it nearly ruins the character. Seeing him and Do Min Joon has an ironic similarity to Superman and Lex Luthor. In fact, I wondered if they were the inspiration for this rivalry.

The series is heartwarming and has some very humorous moments. As with so many K-Dramas, it also has some tender moments that might tug at your heartstrings. Actress Jun Ji Hyun really sells us the last couple of episodes when Cheon Song Yi realizes that she’s likely to lose the love of her life, and how devastating that blow is to her, even when she knows it’s coming.

Overall, this is actually a very good series that rests upon the strength of its two lead actors. The story, especially when Do Min Joon is suddenly “found out” borders on the ludicrous. Scientists from around the world would have converged on Korea in a heartbeat to find out more about him. Sometimes, the writers fail to fully consider the ramifications of such a ploy rather than simply find an easier out. But fortunately, this doesn’t do too much damage to the story. Sometimes, charm and sweetness can outweigh the rational and the obvious, which isn’t always a bad thing.

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Completed
Kill Me, Heal Me
3 people found this review helpful
Oct 31, 2023
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 4.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 2.5
This review may contain spoilers

Just another chaebol + ordinary FL bland love story with an extra shock factor

I have had this title on my watchlist for a long time now and was excited to one day give it a try after seeing all the high ratings and good reviews, all which seemed to be solidly justified by the interesting premise of the show.
The first episode was interesting and got me hooked. Loved the main OST title ("Hallucination"), although after being overplayed at every single "dramatic" scene with flashbacks from the past (which was like 20 times per episode) it got rather lackluster. Loved the switch between personalities and was impressed with Ji Sung's acting, as this was also my first time watching one of his shows. Despite not initially liking the FL (and I don't understand exactly what it was, maybe the hairstyle, but it looked so weird to me when she was fighting with her brother and him mentioning he's older than her so she should call him oppa because to me she seemed way older than him like they were noona and dongseng), I was hoping it would get better. Oh boy, was I wrong.
The writing for this kdrama was so generic and bland, it seems the only times the screenwriters took any steps away from the traditional kdrama recipe was when the other personalities of the ML were involved, but ultimately only Shin Se Gi's actions actually had any sort of impact on the plot. The original ML personality was pretty boring and felt like he had little to no character development, along with the FL. The love story was also bland, full of tropey scenes that instead of bringing comedic relief, only managed to bring the quality of the drama even lower, once again relying on the "childhood connection trope" which is obviously enough for 2 characters with very few meaningful interactions to become soulmates (/s).
There were no real resolutions regarding the 'villains' of the drama and to be honest they were so unmemorable I already forgot their names.
Her brother was such an unecessary character I don't think he was in any meaningful scenes in the last few eps. And his storyline with being a secret writer didn't add anything to the main plot. Not even mentioning that at some point it's revealed that he's actually in love with the FL.. wtf was that? I know they're not blood related, but still, they grew up as siblings.

Overall, if I were to make a pro-cons list, it would look like this:
pros:
+ very entertaining acting from Ji Sung taking on 7 different personalities (more specifically impressed with Shin Se Gi, Perry Park and Ahn Yo Na).
+ Shin Se Gi everything
+ the main OST.
cons:
- sort of everything else.
Overall I wouldn't recommend this drama unless you're a big fan of Ji Sung or you're not necessarily interested in a good watch, just something to have on the screen when eating.

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Ongoing 11/16
Twinkling Watermelon
1 people found this review helpful
Oct 31, 2023
11 of 16 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.5

Everything is a 10/10

Everything is a 10/10
I love how serious and cute at the same time the actors are. Love te leads chemistry and the plot line. It has been a while since I could honestly say I love this show. The music is fascinating and I am in love with the color palette of this movie. The director better not break my herat and give a sad endinv because then it will be more sad than the 2521 ending. The leands and secon leads have chemistrywith each other and I really hope we will get two happy endings................................................................................

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Completed
Stay with Me
0 people found this review helpful
Oct 31, 2023
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 6.5

Lighter yet complete version of the original

An unexpected remake project of the most controversial yet popularized BL story in China. Its power and influence remain the same as fans still acknowledge anything “Addicted”-related things. I salute all of the people behind this show and reproducing the first banned gay show in their country. Yet, they need to take some precautions by cutting out the intimate scenes and filtering out the romance between the two main characters. And this is pretty enough for fans who want to see the continuation of the drama into the series.

Gu Hai and Bai Luo Yin still hold the record in my favorites list as they have such notable and distinguished characteristics in both the novel and the first live adaptation series. Although they literally romanticized toxicity as a form of love, I can’t help but feel astonished by their love story every now and then. I remember reading the book with too much focus as I can feel how painful and dramatic each turn of events is towards these characters. Of course, Johnny Huang and Timmy Xu play a big role as they paved the way for most of the international audience to indulge in this story. They have such a firm and strong chemistry that leads me to imagine their faces while reading the novel.

After banning their show way back in 2016, fans left nothing but sadness. The first thing that came to my mind when I heard that earlier this year, a remake version will be released, is the question “can they match the standard set by the first version?” The answer I get is both a YES and a NO. It’s a YES, in a way that I can see that the production is following the main storyline of the novel with lesser tension and leaving out some significant scenes that may target their project again by the Chinese community. And NO because, despite the efforts, I feel like they’re always something lacking that leads me to feel bored sometimes. This may be due to my expectations that are too high for the remake project to satisfy me.
The nostalgic feeling adds spice to the show and it's hard for me to focus my attention on the remake and avoid reminiscing the scenes from the first version. Nevertheless, I feel grateful that they made this drama lighter and minimized cruelty to the characters’ perspective. If a sequel is possible, I am just wishing for them to continue sticking to the main storyline and avoid unnecessary cut-offs as much as possible.

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Completed
Misaeng: Incomplete Life
2 people found this review helpful
Oct 31, 2023
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
Misaeng is about office workers dealing with office politics and the work stresses. Our male lead, GeuRae, was a GO player who ends up getting an internship at an international trading company through connections. He is incredibly shy and introspective so quickly becomes the butt of a lot of the other interns' jokes and is targeted because of his background. He only has a GED while everyone else have university degrees, so they see some hypocrisy, some unfairness there because he's been given this opportunity they all had to fight really hard to get. However, due to his unique critical thinking skills and intense work ethic, he is able to find a place at the company, developing a strong sense of purpose and camaraderie with his team.

What struck me about Misaeng was how instantly I was drawn and invested to the characters. Every character, lead and support all play a critical role in someone's arc. Mr. Oh who is our male lead's team leader. He is known to be a chill but meticulous worker, and I absolutely loved his interaction and his developing relationship with GeuRae. And then I also loved watching him try and balance his moral integrity with some of the kind of sketchy work situations that he's put into.
Through our female lead we explore some sexist attitudes. There is a lot more going on with her beyond just being a woman in an all-boys club kind of environment, which takes a while to develop. There are quite a few questions that keep getting presented throughout the course of the series that keep you engaged, and her backstory is one of them.
Next, we have Byun Yo Han's character who I see as 'the free-rider': The one that do nothing in a groupwork but swoop in last minute to get all of the credit. He is a little extravagant and quite annoying, but as the show develops, I see his motivations, his backstory, and he becomes one of my favorites. His arc and struggle with his boss feels very relatable.
Lastly is Kang Haneul's character. He is the intern that has it all on paper, he's got all the background and confidence... Essentially everything that our male lead lacks. However, he struggles to connect with his boss and find fulfillment from his work. And because of that, he looks to our male lead, who thrives in this environment, he gets a little bit jealous. Honestly the pairing of them was just brilliant.

I really enjoy the realistic and very genuine humor, such as characters will say the same joke once, twice, even three times throughout the series, and then it will be used to create new comedy. We will recognize the same joke and it evolves into something new. It reminded me of the inside jokes that we develop with people in our real lives, like when Mr. Oh kept tripping people and then saying the same thing after he tripped different people. I thought that was hilarious.

I have two cons. The first one being the premise is never fulfilled. Based on our male lead being admitted as an intern due to his connections, it's a really big deal in the first few episodes, as well as his GO mindset was often portrayed but it never manifests into anything special. The second one is the pacing in most episodes are very slow, ans since this series is long, it might be boring to some. But if you're interested at all, it's worth it. If you watch the first episode and are not feeling it, I think you're safe to drop it as it is a good indication of what the entire series is going to be about.

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Completed
Love O2O
0 people found this review helpful
Oct 31, 2023
30 of 30 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

What have I watched?

Normally I like such sort of Chinese dramas, but this is like I have seen a show of the 1950s or so.
In episode 20, I almost fell off my chair. When he leaves the apartment, Xiao Nai says that Bei Wei Wei could clean the kitchen. And Wei Wei doesn't say anything about it and do that. What century are we living in? And another question, how old are the characters in this series? Early 20s? Why is Er-Xi so childish? Can't she speak and act normally? And Wei Wei mutates into an obedient mistress. And yea, the kissing scenes have already been mentioned several times. I agree, they weren't very good.
I watched the series in fast forward, as it can only be seen until November 8th. And that was a good thing.

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Oct 31, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 4.0
Story 1.5
Acting/Cast 4.0
Music 1.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

This is just not it, So disappointed!!

The Uncanny Counter Season 2: Counter Punch was a huge disappointment compared to the brilliant first season. The plot was dull and illogical, the characters were poorly developed and the music was lackluster. From the beginning, I felt something was off and it never got better until the end. The show wasted the potential of the Counters, who were once intriguing and badass demon-hunters, and turned them into clowns or sidekicks. The new counter, Jeok Bong, was annoying and useless. The show failed to deliver any suspense, humor or emotion. It was a painful and boring watch that I regret wasting my time on.

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Completed
D.P.
2 people found this review helpful
Oct 31, 2023
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

So good! Maybe not for everyone

D.P. centers around the daily life of men during their mandatory military service. Our male lead was recruited into the D.P. division of the military due to his innate critical thinking ability. It is there that he joins up with a few different seniors as they track down deserters.

Disclaimer: I am not familiar with official military titles, so I won't touch on that in this review.
If you're like me and all you ever really knew about this series was that it depicted systemic harassment and bullying in a gut-wrenching way, I'm here to tell you that, yes, those elements are there, but they're presented very well. This is not just harassment for harassment's sake. There's a message and as the viewer, I am getting the messages that are intended.

It has great characters, really beautiful writing, and a story that is about the human condition. Every character is given a surprising amount of depth, and even our antagonists are treated in the end as real people with their own internal struggles and demons. I find it comparable to "My Mister" and "Misaeng", those are all shows that I feel strongly represent the human condition, and so does "D.P." with as much seriousness and respect for the viewer as these ones did. Go into D.P. with caution. Do be prepared for those hard-to-watch, gory scenes. If the scenes are too much, you can always skip ahead. I'm not saying to put aside your own mental health and personal well-being just to watch a TV show.

The action are done well: From chase scenes to hand-to-hand combat, everything has the right type of tension, and the stakes are there. The soundtrack perfectly represents the feelings of the characters and the overall vibe of the show, too. The show has an episodic nature, like, "Let's catch the deserter of the episode," this might be a con to some, but it helps to understand the world and how things work. If episodic storytelling is not your thing, no worries as It transitions into the main climactic arc.

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Completed
The Beauty Inside
3 people found this review helpful
by Sugar
Oct 31, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Chemistry sparks, but plot fades. Watch for cast, skip for the slow.

Picture this: two seemingly perfect but kinda doomed characters, dealing with all that empathy and opposites-attract stuff we've seen before. But here's the kicker—the plot throws all the interesting bits at us upfront, leaving us waiting for more depth that never quite shows up.

Now, our main girl, Seo Hyun Jin's character was played great but it was a total mystery. The uniqueness of Seo Hyun Jin character remains unexplained throughout. The leads? Yeah, they've got some on-screen chemistry, but blame it on the writing—the overall experience is just missing that thing. Shoutout to the two couples, though—they're the real stars in this so-so story. And that fantasy angle they promised? Bit of a letdown.

Rewatching? No way. Sixteen episodes feel like a marathon for such a small story. But props to the cast—they're the reason I made it to the last episode . If you're thinking of a rewatch, you might as well be a scene-skipping ninja to get to the good parts.

Now, the finale? Ugh, unnecessary much? The last episodes drag, and honestly, you could sum up the whole drama with a highlight reel of flashbacks. The ending? Zilch closure, nada answers.

In a nutshell, it had its moments, but this drama felt like a bit of a letdown.





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Ongoing 2/12
Perfect Marriage Revenge
5 people found this review helpful
Oct 31, 2023
2 of 12 episodes seen
Ongoing 1
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Perfect revenge

Found the perfect one to look.
Can't wait to find out what the rest of the story is.
Duk looked like he knows Yi Joo from the past.
Predictions:
- He knows her and was in the crash too.
- She took her revenge about the paintings too.
- Finally marries him for real
- Ex fiancé cannot do anything about her new marriage

Questions to be answered:
- why was she really adopted?
- will her parents make themselves known?
- will she be happy with Duk?
- i hope her ex mother in law slaps her son on her behalf.
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Completed
My Love from the Star
5 people found this review helpful
Oct 31, 2023
21 of 21 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.0

Enjoyable and cheesy, a guilty pleasure of randomness

As you can guess by the title, our male lead is an alien who landed during the Joseon Dynasty period. Three months before his return to his star, he met and fell in love (?) with the biggest Hallyu actress in Korea.

I want to start off by saying that the set up is very well done, I get invested with the leads instantly with iconic personalities. I was very invested with the concept with this drama, being opposite attracts.

At first I wasn't sold on Jun Ji Hyun's character, I feel she's a bit overacting. But as the story goes on, I really settled in with her character and her acting is so charming that i don't even feel it's overacting anymore. She's just this really comical really kind of cheesy actress. She really disappears into this role and contribute to most of my enjoyment. I also enjoy Kim So Hyun's stoic character, even though he's not doing much. I love his forth wall breaking scene in the latter part of the story. However, the romance later on was lackluster, I dislike how he treated her and being ridiculously secretive towards her about his identity

Besides the leads, the suspense elements within the show actually really surprised me. I think there are many moments where I'm genuinely hate our main villain. Although I wasn't appreciative that this villain was really one note, I don't understand the motivations for being a villain. Without giving any spoilers, the ending is very weird, I believe they can do better.

PS: The OST is very good, especially the main song "My Destiny" is beautiful but it's very overused in the later episodes.

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Completed
Bright Eyes in the Dark
3 people found this review helpful
Oct 31, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

A drama dedicated to Firefighters! Salute to their sacrifice!

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25

2023 is the year of firefighters. “Bright Eyes in the Dark” is the third drama about firefighters and is the one I like the best. This is a story about firefighters, a whole drama dedicated to their experiences, challenges, livelihood and brotherhood. And because of this, it sets itself apart from the usual romance + firefighter stories.

If you want:

50% Cute and Fluffy Romance + 50% Firefighting/Rescue → A Date with the Future
50% Melo-Romance with angst + 50% Firefighting/Rescue → Fireworks of my Heart
80% Firefight/Romance + 20% Romance → Bright Eyes in the Dark


What I Like:

1. Brotherhood/Camaraderie - Aside from focusing on the main leads, the supporting cast is able to shine and tell their own stories. These are stories that make me laugh and make me cry. I don’t know how accurate these stories are in depicting the lives of real firefighters, nor do I know if this is only relevant to Chinese firefighters, but I eat them all up! As always, you can’t always like a character too much in such genres, as you never know if they are going to get hurt seriously or die during their missions. This band of brothers are a fun bunch and they are more mature than the other supporting cast in similar dramas. A mix of veteran and up and coming actors, they have great chemistry together.

2. Missions/Cases/Firefighting - The drama started out with a string of cases and might have bored some people who are looking for romance. There are many more big cases in this drama and for the most part, the fires and explosions all look very real. Money is invested to make this all as realistic as possible. Compared to the other two firefighter dramas, this one showcases bigger disasters and fewer everyday life mundane calls (still have some).

3. Acting - Excellent acting all around. I might get annoyed with a few characters, but that is probably due to their good acting. This is my first Johnny Huang’s drama and he meets my expectations. His tall and muscular frame suits his captain role. He looks like a firefighter. Zhang Jing Yi continues to improve after seeing her in “Fall in Love” and “Lighter and Princess”. Her character is definitely more mature and independent, and she portrays it well. But my favorite acting goes to the rest of the veteran firefighters. When one of them cries by the stairs at the hospital due to the overwhelming monetary burden, my heart breaks for him. Those emotions feel so real and raw. When one of them wanted to commit suicide, I wanted to give him a hug and tell him everything is going to be alright.

4. Main Romance - The chemistry between Johnny Huang and Zhang Jing Yi is pretty good. They have good kisses (thank god!) and the girl is not afraid to initiate. They have great conversations, are honest with each other and will talk it out before making any decisions. The romance lover in me wanted more screen time and lovey-dovey moments. A minor critique, I do think Zhang Jing Yi looks a little younger (appearance wise) to be paired with Johnny.

5. Wang Zi Qi - I love that WZQ took on a more serious role after seeing him as a rom-com CEO or someone a little more bland. In this drama, he shows a very different side of him and looks older (more natural) without a full face of thick makeup. I like his more mature and rugged look. He exudes quiet and stern charisma, but also shows his softer side later on. I wish he had more scenes with Johnny. His voice is finally not dubbed, though he needs a little more practice.


What I have Mixed Feelings or Don’t Like:

1. Preachy/Propaganda? - This drama talks a lot about firefighters dedicating their lives for their country by compromising their personal and family lives. Is this Chinese propaganda? Maybe. But I am sure each country feels very strongly about their life-saving heroes. The fire safety clip at the end of each episode is a useful and good public service announcement. However, as a binge-watcher, I got bored after a few and then just skipped through them.

2. OST - The same two songs keep on playing over and over again. They are nice, but just way overplayed. Comparatively, I like the OST of “Fireworks of my Heart” a lot more.

3. A few questionable situations - The TV show premise is not very plausible. It takes going to a special school and training before you can go into the fire (like the two newbie firefighters). They make it too easy for the actors, especially the newcomer, to join in on everything. The drama mentioned many times that it’s difficult for firefighters to take time-off, is that really so hard in real life? If it’s that hard, how did they let them all take a day off together to go picnic/camping? I might be totally wrong and it’s possibly fine, but in the very last few episodes, I question the decision to let civilian volunteers to help out. If you are not trained, no matter how short-staff you are, you might not want them into a burning forest.

4. Ending (spoilers) I understand why the leads need to move away to let the rumors die down. What I don’t understand is why they stop communicating with each other as if they have broken up. Did I miss a part of their conversation? Why can’t you stay away from each other physically, while being emotionally together and continue to support each other? If they have stayed a loving couple, I would be more ok with the somewhat vague ending. Even if the male lead really dies in the mission, I am ok with it because I have seen their romance blossomed and I felt rewarded. But acting like they broke and adding on that ending makes this very unsatisfying.


Overall, I had a good time watching this due to the emotional stories of the firefighters and the great all-around acting. It’s not a perfect drama, but it’s special in its own ways. The pacing is decent for a 40-episode drama. But this is definitely not for everyone. I can see many drop this after the initial episodes especially if you are looking for romance.


Other Random Observations:
1. How many times is the FL going to be stuck in a dangerous fire situation and need to be saved by ML?
2. I want to slap those two newbies for their immature behaviors and get into trouble over and over again. When are you going to learn and listen to your supervisor?!?
3. I am quite impressed with Zhang Jing Yi’s dancing. I know some complicated moves and wide-angle shots are not her dancing, but those that are done by her look pretty good.
4. The fake tan on ML is just too obvious.
5. Surprisingly, there aren’t too many topless 6-pack scenes. Just a few in the early episodes I want more! LOL
6. I know Wu Gang is an excellent veteran actor but his botoxed face is too distracting!!!!


Completed: 10/30/2023 - Review #371

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Completed
The Deal
5 people found this review helpful
Oct 31, 2023
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Suspenseful and Engaging!

This had a lot of suspenseful moments that kept me on the edge of my seat. I didn't know where the plot was going or how things were going to end up. It had a nice dose of comedy injected into the script here and there to lighten things up, but maintained a serious and dark tone throughout.
I liked the human aspect of this plot the most—the confused feelings of the kidnappers at times, and especially the betrayed feelings of the friend that was kidnapped. Once again, it is all for money. Greed and envy gets the best of us sometimes. It really begs the question; who are your real friends?

Casting was ON POINT. It's really nice to see the skills of the actors here. I'd have to say that Kim Dong Hwi gave an outstanding performance. It's not easy playing the villain. He managed to pull it off quite well. Yoo Soo Bin really surprised me, too! At first when I saw him I wasn't sure if they had made a good choice in casting him for the role, but he really blew my expectations out of the water and gave a great performance.

FINAL THOUGHTS... this is a sad, dark tale about betrayal of what was supposed to be a beautiful friendship. It is heartbreaking to see what people will do for money, especially when you consider that this goes on every day in the real world. It is short enough to not have any boring or dragged-out parts, which is a huge plus for me. It would have gotten a higher mark if they had been just a tad bit more creative with the ending. I really liked what they did with Park Min Woo's ending, but for the other characters it fell a little bit flat. Give this a watch! It's only 8 episodes so you can't go wrong.

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Dropped 27/36
A Date with the Future
3 people found this review helpful
Oct 31, 2023
27 of 36 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

Started well but went downhill midway and disaster at the end

After watching two firefighter shows (which were not great but not bad ) i was curious about this one.

It started well and i had no problems with FL that much as others and ML although aloof was not cold and their dynamics was fun to watch along with other firefighters. But i saw first sign of stupidness when FL saves ML by jumping into fire when there was full team of trained firefighters and ML instead of scolding her thanks her as if that was not sheer violation of rules. But i still went on thinking it is too early to judge based on once incident but then series of cliches appeared. ML instead of communicating being a pighead about SML or his injury. FL being embroiled in a case and stupidly getting involved in situations that doesnt make sense. But final nail in the coffin was how earthquake happened again in the same city at the same day when FL and ML lands . Like what! Really did the team did not have any story other than convieniently placing an earth quake at the same time when FL lands again . i mean come on . atleast if she had stayed for a month or so then happened i would give some leeway. They also really went extreme making FL outshine in everything even in firefighting. Thats just too much!

So ya although this came before Fireworks of my heart and some scenes of that drama seems to have been taken from this drama it was much more mature (although i find that drama wanting in some areas too). i would suggest watch you are my hero or Fireworks of my heart instead ,. They are definitely not this immature.

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Completed
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
1 people found this review helpful
by Ershi
Oct 31, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

"My life is strange and peculiar but...it has value. It's a beautiful life."

I think before watching this drama people should keep in mind that this is not a documentary about ASD or even real life law or courtroom thus expecting a realistic representation of the collective people in the spectrum is just stupid.
it is a beautiful and heartfelt montage of a woman who happens to be autistic. Her life experiences personal and professional, her growth is the highlight of the drama.
Another aspect is how this drama touches on many social issues through legal cases in every episode such as misogyny, the demonization and misconceptions of autism, the importance of preservation of nature, and even queer relationships are all explored more or less, which I thought was admirable. The writers manage to keep things light and airy throughout, with just enough tension sprinkled in to make it engaging.

It's not without it's flaws of course since I felt that the sudden arrival of her brother was just there in case the show doesn't get a 2nd season which felt out of place and frankly out of nowhere. Since what are the chances her brother is also a genius, a hacker and is directly involved in a case that young woo is working on??
The cases being lukewarm in the 2nd half and these odd plot choices prevented me from giving the drama a higher rating. But it's an uplifting and inspirational drama regardless.

The acting was superb. This is my first park Eun bin work and I am blown away. I understand people's complaints of infantilising her but then again you are forgetting that i) this is a drama Ii) this is happening south Korea which has a different culture iii) asd is a SPECTRUM...your experiences do not need to be similar to other people and you can't judge other people's experiences based on your own.

Lastly, I would like to say that although this is definitely not THE representation of autism but rather A representation of autism. I personally as a person who very recently found out that I am indeed autistic, I related to her in certain ways and didn't in other ways. Doesn't mean I am not autistic or the character isn't. People can have gripes about the representation sure but I think as an unique drama that portrays an autistic woman as a protagonist in a profession that's primarily male dominated and not to mention primary a field for neurotypical people. It has its plot holes but disregarding this would almost be disregarding what woo young woo says in the last episode, although it's strange and peculiar it still has value

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