Reviews

Is this true that this writer also wrote the masterpiece Secret Garden? Perhaps my expectations were too high. I love most dramas, but it took me several weeks to get through this. It can best be described as "Frat Boys Still Live Together at Age 40". There were no dramatic moments such as in Secret Garden.
Here are my main criticisms : 1. The main tension or conflicts didn't ramp up until the second half and I was already tired of the slow pace.
2. The main female, Seo Yi Soo, was too immature and childish as a 35 year old woman. It was annoying to watch her stomp her feet and shake her body at constant embarrassment like a 5 year old having a temper tantrum. Her reaction to a handsome admirer giving her a kiss was one of a startled deer wide open eye looks. She's supposed to be a mature teacher of challenging teen males and a baseball umpire. This did not fit at all and I did not see a love connection with depth.
3. There was absolutely no kissing between any of the other romantic couples. COME ON! One couple is married and one is getting married!
4. There was no time spent on the most interesting couple. How did a poor playboy marry a sophisticated wealthy heir? And he's unfaithful at that. Quite improbable, but there was at least potential there.

In summary, this could best be described as cutesie or "men having fun." If you don't like the first few episodes, it doesn't get better. I regret watching 20 episodes when there are a lot better.

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10/10 for a xianxia drama ??? what????

OH MY GOD IT HAS BEEN A RIDE!!!!! If you had ever told pre lbfad me that i'd rate a fucking xianxia a 10/10 i'd laugh. I could never seem to get through even one so I had pretty low expectations starting this. AND NOW IM OBSESSED AND GOING THRU WITHDRAWAL 😭 Anyways if you are looking for an epic love story that'll make you laugh, cry, throw whatever device your watching it on, and laugh some more (+therapy) this is THE ONE to watch!!! I just can't believe it's over like dongfang qingcang and orchid are my parents :( now on to the actual review:

Initially what attracted me to the drama besides the beautiful leads who managed to stun me with their acting (I'll get into that later tho) and the body swap trope. I thought it would be a "silly goofy romcom" and many xianxias don't present themselves like that (going for epic love story, angst, love, palace politics...blah blah in the trailer) and that for me is a turn off because i simply do not care. But as soon as I started lbfad it stunned me with it's beautiful CGI THAT ISN'T OVERDONE. But the humor is just so good because imagine the most powerful demon of the three realms finally out into the world after being jailed up for 30,000 years and immediately being stuck in a low ranked fairy's body. Esther Yu conveyed that so well. Additionally imagine being a fairy who just wanted to save a casual crush and ended up freeing a demon lord but not knowing it.
It was so funny seeing how inconvenient it is for the both of them. then the show adjusts to a more mature theme which fits so wonderfully well, and it never loses it's main message about how nothing can go against fate, except love.
It's not the most original idea especially in dramas but it executes it SO WELL . this show takes an age-old question, "how important really is love?" and tells a gutwrenching and watertight story with it. the writing is impeccable. scriptwriters understand what makes good comedy, and that so much comedy comes from pain, Something your laughing over in the earlier episodes will turn its back on you and stab you with emotion and pain.
Yes It does have the miscommunication trope but communicating WOULD NOT solve the problem the leads face with their love. In fact it would've made it worse, so we the audience have to suffer along. You DON'T KNOW WHO LOVES THE OTHER MORE because of the sacrifices they make for each other.
Some people may not like the FL in the beginning but keep in mind theirs a reason she acts like that and once you get to that point you'll be begging her to go back to her past self. Not gonna elaborate too much bc spoilers.
The MLs development is absolutely heartbreaking because he goes through so much and we see a loss of power as the show progresses which is quite different from the usual trope of "started from the bottom now we at the top" ABSOLUTELY GENIUS WRITING ABSOLUTELY GENIUS . The side characters are fully fleshed out and not just cardboard cutouts each character is fully recognized and make layered and oftentimes painful choices of their own!

Okay now lets talk about the leads! DYLAN WANG HEDI AND ESTHER YU SHUXIN THANK YOU FOR BRINGING MY DFQC AND XLH TO LIFE! They both look so good together and have the best chemistry (cue all the behind videos)! I just can go on and on about how amazing they were AND WE NEED ANOTHER DRAMA WITH THEM
i think why it works so well it because their 'YinYang' acting and their character personalities shuxin in more subtle acting while Dylan in intense acting. You can’t see that they overpower each other. They both highlight each other, and I think that’s also the reason why their chemistry works.
Dylan Wang Hedi his acting man it was just too good! I was familiar with him from MG, and that's also why I underestimated him based on his past performance. He does his comedic scenes so WELL (XLH in DFQC's body) and he fleshes out his emotions so WELL when we first meet him we really see how inconvenient this curse that spellbounds our leads together is an inconvenience for him . Him at his peak of badassery was SO GOOD LIKE STEP ON ME PLS, then we see how his character develops as he falls in love and how they can't be together and let me just say he's a great cryer. He had way more emotionally intense scenes than Esther Yu Shuxin because the story does focus on how love affects him and how that's not always good, but WOW he needs to bag ALL THE AWARDS BECAUSE HE'S SO GOOD.
Esther Yu Shuxin is just made for her role too! When you get through some of Dylan's emotionally intense scenes her acting might seem a little more subtle, but she was right on par with Dylans acting. She played Xiao lanhua with such sass and sunshine it was great! XLH is truly the core of the story and you can really see how much she cares about DFQC. Normally I dislike bubbly and childish FLs and XLH especially at the beginning IS JUST THAT! But she's also very smart and clever also as her character develops into more of a mature lady you'll be begging her to return to her original bubbly self! I know a lot of people don't want to press play just because of her voice, but it's Shuxins actual voice and it fits Xiao LanHua very very well + she's very young compared to the other characters in the show so it's only natural she has a high pitched voice and yes it might seem unusual at first but it grows on you very quickly! She definitely needs awards too.

The OSTs man i've never gotten PTSD from one but once the beginning notes of "Farewell love" start playing I started bawling. They just add so much emotion to the already emotional scenes. I hope they release all of them, because the (siren melodies were so good)

Anyways this review is way to long now so I'd like to end it with saying that Love between fairy and devil is a love story at it's purest form. It's a fairytale. it's about making your choice and facing the consequences and being able to because of love. Love that presents itself in a familial way in a romantic way in a way with friendship. it's about how love can be your demise but also be your savior. Watch this show even if you don't like xianxias because it's so differently orchestrated it really is a breath of fresh air!
LBFAD imo is the peak of xianxia the peak of romance the peak of star crossed lovers the peak of forbidden love

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Best series of 2022! Watch at your discretion

Viewers please beware, don’t let anyone insult your intelligence. As with any Asian dramas, to be invested is to watch with positive mindset. This series plot is not geared mainly to same old fluffy romance. The plot is deep, therefore the first 4 episodes depicts characterization of further character developments not just for the leads but the side characters as well. As a quick summary this is about 2 ppl who had broken youth, met by fate and cos of love as deep as the galaxy became whole again.
This is a dream team ensemble, great acting by everyone, genius director, excellent cinematography, writing, musical score, the best novel adaptation and so on. It depicts one of the greatest romance, revenge, thrilling action scenes, redemption and second chances! And serious tone complemented by great humor. You get to experience mix emotions of pain, sadness, joy, laughter almost simultaneously.
Here I guarantee you will not be disappointed..enjoy!
The best of WL and ZLS I’ve seen …

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When you read the synopsis or storyline, you won't think you will be addicted to the show, but once you started watching you just can't stop.

This show gave me some "Love O2O" vibes, although the male lead wasn't as handsome as Yang Yang, but TBH their story is very much better :) I love how they slowly build up their puppy love and with all the 神助攻 (loveline helpers) of the show (K&K kiddos, main leads' friends and family members) that makes the couple fall in love! Some scenes were just cute and funny, you will smile widely while staring at your screen without noticing because the couple is just too adorable!

So if you are looking for something light and funny, give this a try and you will not regret :)

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Worst Korean Drama script of all time

I cannot even imagine how the same scriptwriter who gave us Crash Landing on You somehow managed to come up with this steaming pile of excrement. Colleges and universities should use this as a case study in bad writing. It constantly insults the viewers intelligence to the point that one is left completely exasperated and confused at how it could even exist. This viewer only managed to reach the end it all through a combination of hate watching and intrigue at how such a high end, expensive major studio production with top class actors and soundtrack could come to this. One completely idiotic, unrealistic, completely unbelievable plot twist after another with every conceivable k-drama trope after another used and then reused until the viewer feels brutalized by the stupidity of it all. This show is dog ____.

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One of the most exciting dramas I've come across till date. It kept me glued from the very first moment, making me wonder who the k-guy was. Background music gave me goosebumps.

But frankly I felt Jin Gook and Hye Mi looked so much better together. I didn't even CONSIDER the possibility of Sam Dong and her together until the second last episode or something. Ending was sweet, but incomplete.

Nevertheless, one show I want to go watch again and again (last time that happened with You're Beautiful).
Pil Sook and Jason were adorable together.

special credits to Teacher Kang's noona's drinking habits, the english teacher's dancing skills, The loan shark's creepy, sudden appearances that beats the shit out of anyone and everyone and the american teacher's hairclips. LOL. Super special credits to Taecyeon and his cute, dorky ears. I can't wait to see him in a drama where he finally gets the girl ^^

This one is a classic you guys. A must watch!

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I really enjoyed Legend of the Blue Sea very much. I was prepared to give this a higher rating than I did, but there were a few things that kept this from being perfect. The story was very good, I enjoyed the reincarnation/past lives aspect and the flashback scenes to the Joseon counterparts. I wish those parts had been able to continue further into the story. The writer really set up her myth very well. I've heard some say that it was too reminiscent of My Love From Another Star, and I can see where the set up was very similar in style. I enjoyed all the characters, though, and the writer did put in some good twists to the story. There were a few inconsistencies, but nothing that distracted too much from my enjoyment. And although the ending was good, I felt like it still could have been better. They did a good job at wrapping up, but I didn't feel like they spent enough time with our main couple for the last episode. This drama was actually my first experience watching Lee Min Ho. I thought I finally got why he was such a "big deal" a few years back. (No, I have never watched BOF and probably won't!) I liked him enough to find another drama of his to watch while waiting for new episodes. While he impressed me fairly well in the first part, I found that he lacked emotional punch in some scenes toward the end which lowered my acting score a bit. Jun Ji Hyun, though, has become one of the actresses that I enjoy very much. She has a great comedic sense and stands out from a lot of the Korean actresses I see. She did an excellent job in this show as well. I thought all the side characters were interesting and well-acted for their roles. Especially all the actors doing double duty as past and present characters. The music was pretty good, but nothing that was extraordinary. The theme song was cheesy but still somewhat catchy. It's not something I would like or enjoy listening to outside of being the theme song for this show, though. So, it was good for its purpose. I think this has good rewatch value, even if I myself may not rewatch it. Overall, I gave this an 7.5. It was a fairly solid drama and I would recommend it to anyone that likes romance and fantasy elements. I think this show airing during the same time frame as Goblin may hurt its ratings a bit, but it was still a great show and I don't have any major criticisms for it.

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Started for the romance, stayed for the friendship.

When I start any BL, I am in for romance. I am not expecting an amazing plot, complex characters and any meaningful, well built relations between all the characters. So imagine my surprise, when half way through the show, I cared more about all the friendships, than the main romance.

Does it mean the romance was bad? No. For me, it was just really basic. It got me with “aww, that’s cute” a few times, but overall, I was not that invested. Maybe because there were no real stakes, and all the problems and conflicts were similar to each other, but I barely felt anything.

On the other hand, I adored every scene between Aoki and Hashimoto. I wish the focus of the show was on them building their friendship that started from a misunderstanding, and the romance was more of a side plot. Watching them support each other was delightful. That duo is probably the best thing that happened in BLs in a long time.

I even cared more about Hashimoto and Aida more than the main couple, thanks to Hashimoto’s bubbly, but also brave personality, which made their scenes that much more interesting.

The cast did an amazing job portraying the characters. Michieda Shunsuke aced the over the top, but still somehow realistic reactions Aoki had. Meguro Ren portrayed the gradual change in Ida’s feelings, and initial unsureness in an excellent manner. Fukumoto Riko made Hashimoto the fun real life version of “looks like cinnamon roll, is a cinnamon roll, but could still kill you” character and Suzuki Jin made Aida fun, even if at times frustrating character to watch.

Overall, it was a fun watch. I do believe it would be more entertaining as a binge watch type of deal, since it did not have the plot that made me anticipate each new episode every week. It’s just a fun, cute high school romance that will make you feel happy, but might not amaze you.

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I love everything about this drama!

It's been a while since I've seen a good drama. Usually, every drama I've seen is pretty much the same storyline and plot. I'm glad I've found this drama. It maybe a slow burn type but it has its own style to it that makes it a masterpiece. Male lead is a really handsome man, he's not pretty flower boy type that I've seen in most chinese dramas. I seen the bts clips this man has pour his heart out to bring his character to life. I seen so many dramas in the past years and I'm very impressed with this actor work. I love everything about this drama, the actors, actresses, and crew team. They all poured their hearts out to make such a wonderful series.

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So Bad It's Good!!!

Overall: I don't even know how to rate this series. If you watch it at double speed and think of it as a cheesy soap opera, it is wildly entertaining. However, it is not a serious or realistic bdsm or mafia romance. Aired on Gagaoolala & YouTube (YouTube has some of the (few) steamy scenes shortened/cut))

Content Warnings: murders, gore/blood, kidnapping, slaps/beaten up/violence, manipulation, dub con bdsm (in the first instance), non con touching (sleeping), manhandling, maybe under 18 (in the book Baiboon is 15 but they don't say his age in the series)/age gap side relationship

What I Liked
- this has so much nonsense (pirouette lap sits, shots of running water, zero research into bdsm, Kim making the stupidest decisions). I put this stuff as Room For Improvement as well because it's either awesome or terrible depending on how you watch this series. I laughed so hard every episode.  
- appreciated the multiple consent check ins in the initial "bdsm" scene
- the bodyguard shower scene was totally random but hot

Room For Improvement
- random long shots of faucets running, shoes on the bed, awful tattoo
- nonsensical actions and dialogue, Kamol couldn't find another partner in a large city??? Why is Kim so appealing? Why refuse to do something and then instantly gives in? A sample line, Kamol says to Kim "don't worry I'm not involved in drugs or human trafficking"
- the other side couples were not well developed
- awful kissing (but apparently that first scene had zero workshops and the two leads had never worked with each other so that's the production's fault)
- not just 1 but three annoying wannabe girlfriend/boyfriend characters
- zero research into bdsm, also wounds that don't match and look like they were drawn on with lipstick
- slow pacing (watched most on double speed)
- didn't like the overhead camera shots in the beginning and there were some really odd transition shots (like the faucet running water)
- English subs on top of the Thai subs when they were speaking Korean was difficult to read
- they should have cut out the bobblehead commercial breaks

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Most Frustrating and Infuriating Love Triangle

The storyline of massacring concubines when an emperor dies, the absolute power of the eunuchs, the heinous schemes of the various factions in the palace power struggle for the throne, and most of all, a forbidden love that the lovers go underground and the yearning look for each other from afar – all these, while cruel, are intriguing and make a great tragic and somber drama. The trailer looked so good and this was what I had expected. Instead, I was caught off-guard by what I saw -- a slapstick comedy, especially at the beginning.

The opening scene is a disaster. I was utterly confused and flabbergasted - is it supposed to be a serious and heart-wrenching drama with pains and deaths, or is it a comedy where deaths are being treated as jokes? Some viewers said this is meant to be a dark comedy. I was not alone; many other viewers were aghast.

Many viewers have come to watch Unchained Love for Wang Hedi after his bombshell acting in Love Between Angel and Devil, and this is exactly what its marketing team is counting on – an exploitation of his fame after his last aired drama. As much as I love Wang Hedi's acting in the previous drama, it doesn't mean I need to blindly extol him regardless of the story telling, actor selection and many other aspects of this drama. My review here is going to be blunt and unforgiving which may not augur well with many fans.

Story: Is there a future for a eunuch and an emperor's woman to share an illicit love, and to elope to live a happily-ever-after life? Xiao Duo (Wang Hedi) and Bu Yinlou (Chen Yuqi) think there is. However, there are many treacherous obstacles they must cross, and heartaches to bear before they can finally find safety. If caught, both are doomed, and will die of horrid deaths. The sense of danger spurs the story on.

The first half of the drama is chaotic, in its writing, editing, and acting, with a supposedly horrendous hanging scene made into a slapstick comedy. As the drama progresses, the whole story becomes a rom-com with the couple going about their romantic activities, while all the other plots become insignificant side stories. Editing is terrible, making an already incoherent script even more confusing and the relationship unconvincing. The actual plot picks up at around episode 23 when the actions thicken and danger looms, and the whole story becomes more captivating.

Acting: Many viewers have given high rating here because of Wang Hedi, regardless of whether the drama deserves it. Others find Chen Yuqi's acting lackluster; most complain about her lack of facial expressions and her unnatural wide-eyed stares. For me, I only have issues with her acting in the beginning. As she gets more into her role, she seems to have improved. However, her expressions and actions don’t seem to synchronize with the situations of the scenes from time to time. The Bu Yinlou character has two personalities: she is very smart, but she acts silly in front of people to fool them. For this, Chen Yuqi appears to capture the essence of the character albeit inconsistently, but she lacks the charisma that makes this character lovable. As for Wang Hedi, his acting is convincing, and his styling is cool. However, how the camera captures his face at times has given him a rather unflattering impression.

Romance: The romance is not a love at first sight, but its lack of emotional development in the initial episodes, probably due to scene deletion, makes the rocket-speed romantic relationship feel weird and uncalled for. Despite their later treacherous encounters, their romance doesn’t capture my heart.

My Verdict
Disappointing, unnatural acting, poor writing, flabbergasted storytelling, dog blood.

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I was a nice drama. But the plot wasn't really fresh and a bit predictable. This story is common in crime thriller dramas in SK (I cannot tell more because it's a major spoiler). And I was bored a biiiit. The second thing that was a bit unsettling is Ha Jun Won's character. I didn't understood his motives. Why he did alll these? Why he is so obssesed with this case? They never explained it. For the other part, Lee Dong Sik or Park Jung Je's characters was really well written with great depth.

The good thing, the really amazing acting from the whole cast. Everyone was really great, especially Shin Ha Kyun (he gave me the chills sometimes. )

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Blaming rainy days causing me to watch this drama.
Story - emotionally abused family and young girl with talent tossed around work & life
Acting - fair to fair. Female lead could really cry. The male lead is young and had some swagger just not enough to convince me he was not a singer whose trying to act.. Rest of the cast was okay. Of course the gratuitous annoying assistant-friend whose voice & dialog makes cartoons sound good.
Music: jeez folks
RW: NO. not even for snow days
Overall: after watching several strong female - male leads in cdrama this dragged. This is 33ep too long! Yes, skipping is needed. If you want a storyline that seems to drag with an overabundance of wicked-evil women screen time + limp. victim played lead - give this a go. Be warned there are better acted and story's out there!

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A MASTERPIECE WORTH WATCHING

The journey of almost 7 months with AOS has been truly memorable. Now that it has come to an end, it feels so empty.
As I had mentioned in my review for season 1, this drama is just PERFECT and even this season didn't disappoint me with its excellent story line, cinematography, cast, music, EVERYTHING!
Go Yoon Jung portrayed her role as Jin Bu-yeon and Yeong so beautifully and I was all in for it. The dark side of Jang uk with the little mixture of softness was something to look forward to! Their chemistry is INSANE, TRUST ME! After soo long I could feel that the love that the leads share onscreen is BEAUTIFUL, just beautiful nothing else! My heart fluttered in all of their scenes together. Literally no one beats this couple and I was (will always be) all in for it! Kim DoJu, my favourite character throughout! Even though her role wasn't that much, I really really loved her little love story with Park Jin! They have to be my favourites<3. Seo Yul, Dangu, Cho Yeon, Seja Joha, Mama Jin, Master Lee (and ofc uri kkobugi the turtle!).. ALL OF THEM, they have my entire heart! Sad that it has ended and wouldn't get to see them, but happy that they were a part of this fantastic series!
About the story, I'M FULLY SATISFIED WITH IT. I truly think these 10 extended episodes did full justice to the series and I really want to thank the writers and the production team for this! People did criticise it a lot (still do) but for me, it was EXCELLENT! For me, the ending was PERFECT and it couldn't have been any better! After all the ups and downs, all the longing, all the heartbreaks, all the characters finally got what they deserved.
The OSTs! What a song Blue Flower is! I remember getting goosebumps while listening to it for the very first time. I loved how Lia's voice perfectly suited the song(she should get the attention she deserves). I even cried while listening to 'I'm sorry' by Ailee. True that I didn't understand the meaning of the song first but the emotions with which it is sung is MARVELOUS. All the other Osts too were exceptionally amazing!
Now that I've completed watching AOS2, I'm left with mixed emotions. I was rooting for this drama since it's announcement. The journey with it has been thrilling. Right from the first episode of the season one, till the last episode of season two, this series has ruled my heart and I know it will continue to do so for a very long time. From waiting for the premiere of season one to waiting for the finale of season two, this series has not once disappointed me. Hong sisters wrote the greatest love story to ever exist! They showed the world the meaning of true love! True love is not only about loving the body, but falling in love with the soul! It is loving the person inside out. They didn't disappoint us with the ending and I will thank them again and again for this!
All the praises for this drama will fall short. Every word will fail to describe the beauty of it. Alchemy of Souls is that drama which will remain in my heart FOREVER. Nothing could ever describe my love for this. For me, it was not just a drama, it was an emotion. Gonna miss it so so so muchh :(((
All I want to say is that don't miss out on this masterpiece. It's one of a kind and won't disappoint you.
Now i'll go and rewatch it right from the season one♡

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