Reviews

Interesting and sweet mini-show that will make you laugh

This is such a funny mini-show. I love these stories where someone goes into a novel/comic book/manga and has to complete missions to get back home. I enjoy those with happy endings most and this fits me well - even if I feel that it’s a bit too fast paced and there are jumps in the story that’s a bit confusing. Not enough to ruin the show though.
Character wise: FL trying to be a spy is hilarious - absolutely no talent whatsoever, LOL. Instead she is clever and very cute. ML is really badass - rough but with a warm heart. The interactions between these characters are funny and sweet.
Acting wise: The main actors are really good and the chemistry is great.
Well, if you like a fast paced, interesting and funny mini-show - with a sweet love story at center - this is definitely well worth watching.

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Heartwarming relationship among friends and family

This is such a rare hidden gem.

I happened to come across this drama while searching for something to watch on WeTV. When I saw the low rating, I almost didn't even want to try. But the two reviews both gave 9.

Qiao Xin's character here reminded me of her role in the Autumn Ballad. Zheng Da Qian was brash and even rude at times, but she does care about her family and her friends. The casting is superb, each character feels so real. The music is simple but really fitting. The meaning of the words really describes the scenes. The sceneries were beautiful. I really love the time they stay at Mi Lan's grandma's house.

If you want to know more about this drama before watching it, you may want to read it here https://inf.news/en/entertainment/228d12095d93e2aef3ebe04557dfe06c.html There are some spoilers in it, thus avoid it if you hate spoilers. For those who are looking for sweet fluffy romance, sorry, this drama may not be for you. This drama is more about friendship and family, and about going back to your hometown and finding out that things were not like how you remember them. It is heartwarming, as well as heartbreaking at times. But all's well that ends well (hint)

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The first parts of the drama was really good for me as a watcher. I have watched Castaway on the Moon way before, so I already have an idea on what it was somehow been inspired by. The child actors were really great, as they were shown as the first episodes. Their acting were superb. When they get older somehow, I was frustrated with the thriller part of the story, because it felt like it was being so far from the title of Castaway Diva but it did get better. Unfortunately though, it was only 12 episodes and I felt like the 12th episode was a rush. Still, I had a fun time watching this ongoing drama.

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I absolutely love this drama. There are one or two plot points that I didn’t really like and I think the main challenge in Kao and Pete’s relationship could have been easily avoided, but overall the plot is really good. I like that there aren’t so many character that I can’t tell who is who. I also like that you can watch this with having to watch the parent series, though it does help, as the parent series is filled with two many couples that I don’t care about.

Plot:
Kao and Pete’s plot is a little dumb, not gonna lie. The fact that Pete is threaded by a 12 grade boy goes against his character, in my opinion, and his lack of trust in Kao’s feelings for him is a little out of left field.
I lived for Monk and Sun’s story. It didn’t take the direction I expected and there was one aspect of Sun’s character that I didn’t really enjoy but I often found myself annoyed when Pete and Kao took up to much screen time.
Rain and Manow’s story is not really a big part of the show and I was kinda uncomfortable with her being a high school student as I felt they only did that to make it seem like Non and Kao could be a thing.

Characters:
I love all of the characters in this show. I have complaints about all of them, but those complaints are the things that, while frustrating, make the characters relatable and human. The relationships between all the characters is spectacular and I really enjoy that they are entertained by not reliant.
I also think this show does a good job with the side characters. They all have a purpose in the story and, while June is annoying, I never got tired of the Camaraderie and comedic relief that brought to the table.

Most important:
To me, the most important thing about this series is the awareness that it bring to the topics discussed in the show. It deals with some hard topics but it doesn’t shy away from them or turn them into jokes like a lot of other shows. Kao goes through a lot in this series, but he and Pete talk about most of the problems and show a pretty healthy relationship. As a queer person, the time that this show takes to show supportive parents and talk about the difficulties of coming out and other aspects of queer life is really important to me. I shed tears during several of the talk Kao and Pete had about sexuality and felt deeply for the strong relationship they both had with their parents.

Overall, I think this is an amazing show. It is not perfect, no show is, but it’s message and story make up for all the imperfections. Also the acting is really good. New and Tay (Kao and Pete’s actors) are best friends in real life and their chemistry shows. By that I mean they act amazingly together though their kiss Scenes are kinda awkward.

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The first time I tried watching this I only got to episode 5 I think before I had to put it on hold. I was newer to dramas and was not accepting of the older woman, younger man storyline and I wasn’t sure I wanted to get through 22 eps of a romcom (romcoms usually don’t have plots and can become repetitive). However, recently ive been in a drama slump when it comes to marathoning but Dramafever just picked this one up so I decided to give it another go especially since I haven’t found a single Lee Min Ki drama worth watching...

Story: Really does a romcom need 22 episodes? No. Although, the writers did a good job with the pacing which made the episodes fly by in no time. Really the drama is about the growth of ALL the characters (mains and supporting) in both career/family/romantic aspirations. At first this seemed like it might become repetitive and why waste my time on another story ive seen before right? Well as each episode went on I found myself glued to the screen wondering where these characters (not just the leads) will go in life. Although a lot of the situations might not seem realistic I did find the story as a whole quite realistic and relatable. The only thing I found lackluster was the ending for our two leads. They had room to give us something more satisfying.

Acting/Cast: Chae Rim is a lovely actress but I haven’t loved any of her projects. I think this is the first where her character will be memorable for me. She had the perfect chemistry with Lee Min Ki (I found his acting a little stiff at times) and their relationship was quite believable. I was really surprised by the casting choices of the supporting characters (they get their own storylines as well) at first but by the end I was invested in their characters and they did their parts to carry the show as well. I found the second male lead VERY stiff and he reminded me of Pinocchio a lot(His paleness and lack of facial expressions) and his character was kind of useless after only 8 eps and found his scenes after that kind of awkward and out of place.

Music: Found it very cheesy at first but it will get stuck in your head by the end. Enjoyable for the drama but not my kind of thing.

Rewatch: I didn’t love the first 8 episodes because the second male lead was a big part of the storyline and Lee Min Ki had fewer scenes, plus I'm really not that big of a fan of older woman/younger man focused dramas. Because of this its not a must rewatch for me but I don’t see why anyone else wouldn’t want to rewatch it.

Overall Dalja’s Spring is one of the better written romcoms out there with excellent pacing and its actually really funny which is a plus!

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This is no noona romance. There's no romance at all here so don't freak out.

The story is nothing extraordinary but it's touching. I've always been drawn to dream-chasing stories. For the housewives who realise after years that they can actually chase their dreams before it's too late; all my admiration and respect. Yes, it's never too late to chase your dreams.

The maternal affection that develops between Noriko and Min Ha is so touching. Yes people; there are more variations to relationships between men and woman!

No twists and no surprises. Touching and cool. Won't recommend it to drama newbies. If you're a Hongki fan or if you love dream-chasing themes or music-related work, then yes watch this. It's no waste of time.

I loved Hongki singing -as always-.

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Disappointing and Unsatisfying

I started this show with alot of excitement. I have never seen a kdrama based on the Weather Forecast. This seemed really new and exciting. But the story left me very unsatisfied.

What i liked:
i liked the weather aspect alot. It opened my eyes to the difficulties and hardwork that comes with this job, especially as a person living in South Asia, where theres only 2 seasons.
The OST was great, and increased the quality of the show and so were the actors. I watched Navillera and Her Private Life before so i was looking forward to this drama.

What I Did Not Like:
Sad to say, there's more I did not like than the things I liked.

1. The show making Ki Joon and Yujin (esp Ki Joon) seem like good people, after they cheated their way out of their previous relationships. I hated that Hakyung and Siwoo kept going to these two horrible people for advice, like who does that? Ki Joon did nothing good to be deserving of forgiveness. Yujin especially never even apologised to Siwoo for wronging him and blamed him. Their characters were not written well at all.
2. The overused "My Mostly Absent Sort Of Terrible Parent Has Cancer/Terminal Illness So I Will Forgive Him" trope. This was in 2 other shows I watched and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth each time. These parents force their kids to give them a ton of money for gambling while they never actually cared for them in the first place. And then suddenly they get sick and now all is okay?? They apologise because they are close to death, not because they actually feel bad. Writers need to realise that, parents can be horrible, and the children CAN leave them forever and still be happy.
3. Yujin and Ki Joon's screentime. They should not have gotten this much screentime, esp in the second haf of the show where they got more than the main characters. Like what??
4. Senior Forecaster Um's relationship with his family getting developed so so so slowly was killing me. We only got like uh 3 minutes of screentime with his family not fighting?? in a 16 episode kdrama?
5. The constant breaking up and making up cycle that never seemed to end, between the first and second main couples. It's just overdone and boring. Especially when the development between the Mc's relationship wasn't even properly done. Their entire Relationship was based on lust, and this happened not long after they got CHEATED on?? We never knew why they both liked each other, or any scenes where they shared an actual deep moment. Only time I felt anything was when they were at the restaurant where Hakyung was treating Kijoon's wounds.

OVERALL: basically, The first half of the show was fun to watch. The second half got tiring very quick. I don't know what the writers were trying to do. We never got any development between Hakyung's team. I expected we'd see more on Hakyun'g growth as a young Director, but it was all break up make up break up make up and then we got a tiny Director moment at the middle of the last episode?? Disappointing.

I expected better. But we can't always have what we want.

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If you're looking for a Drama that has a really good plot line... keep looking.
I truly enjoyed this drama for the main couple, specifically Hong Yi's character Qiu Yue. The perfect anti-hero, his character was the best developed out of all of them, and a lot of credit to Hong Yi, because his portrayal was immaculate. Qiu Yue is the ruthless leader of Qiuyue cavity, who finds himself falling for the ever so adorable Chun Hua. I liked Chun Hua's character in the beginning because she was so unabashed and naive. She's so unapologetically herself that you kinda love her like a little sister. I initially began watching for Zhao Lu Si because I LOVED her in "I Hear You" but Hong Yi really stole the show here. Qiu Yue truly love Chun Hua and only wants to be loved in return and sometimes, it's heartbreaking. The chemistry between them is undeniable and raw that you keep wanting more of it. and yes... they have a lot of cute kiss scenes
*Honourable Mention: Valley Legend Lord Fu Lou and his wife You Si had me in tears :'((((
*Yes, there is a happy ending

Story:
I mean.. it wasn't great and they left a couple of things unturned, but regardless it was pretty decent. It's what you expect from a drama between Yin and Yang. I will say that I really appreciated how they got into politics and the morals of right and wrong which was nice. I'll be honest, Xiao Bai and his groupies annoyed me to the point of skipping their parts every time they came on screen. Trust me, you won't miss much of the story if you do, it's pretty predictable.

Acting:
The mains were great Li Hong Yi, you have a new fan, Zhao Lu Si, I remain dedicated to your works.
The actor for Xiao Bai kinda fell a little flat for me, because he was a little too stiff for my taste. I realised that his dubbed voice didn't really suit his style so it looked a little off to me the entire time. The supporting cast was also good. I really enjoyed young master Qin and Lady Leng more towards the end.

Music: didn't really pay attention to it

Rewatch: I always know I'll rewatch a drama when I search up compilation videos of them. So yes, a definite rewatch

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This show is very confusing but stick with it

I’d heard about the Untamed and decided to give it a try, not knowing anything about it. The first episode was very confusing to me, and I had to do a bunch of googling to even get a grasp. If anyone goes into this show as their first Chinese drama, they may also find the names confusing- there are many characters introduced very quickly. It became better as I slowly understood more, but I was still a bit confused and waiting for the show to become more exciting. I was at the point of, “if it doesn’t get better soon, I’ll drop the show”. However, I’m so glad I stuck with it- things took a turn at a certain episode and suddenly the show was much more emotional and intense. It became so good that it didn’t matter that I was confused at the beginning- and once you watch the whole show, watching the beginning again makes a lot more sense and you can see all the hints that were woven in.

(More spoilery from here)

The Untamed really wonderfully dealt with a lot of themes and issues, and each character was complex and layered. Wei Wuxian’s descent into madness was for me, unexpected (despite seeing how he was “evil” at the beginning, because I was so confused that I forgot about that) but fascinating and satisfying. The Wen clan initially seems like the main antagonist, but then it turns out that our protagonist is the villain, at least in the eyes of society. The Untamed showed so much about the struggles between what is right or wrong individually, vs within relationships, vs in society, or when someone has no choices... making bad choices for good reasons, or vice versa...

The character development is amazing and each character was complex enough to be the protagonist of their own show, in my opinion. Even most of the villains were so dimensional that I couldn’t dislike them. I can see why people call this show a masterpiece, and despite my initial confusion, this turned out to be one of the best shows I’ve ever watched.

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If “God’s gift: 14 days” and “Mouse” had a child, this child would have been “Black”

Note: This review feels more like a general observation of the drama than a review

Screenwriter Choi Ran, is an expert on writing unique and confusing stories and she never forgets to leave traces of her characteristics in them. “Black” is mystery supernatural thriller with many elements that reminded me “Gods Gift” and “Mouse”. Some of those elements were good and some were bad.

~The main mystery and the flow of the story reminds of GG14D.

In “Black”, we have a case that is getting bigger and bigger and more people are involved and affected by it. It generally feels like that cartoon scene where the characters unzip their costumes and all these plot-twists about their identities happen but at one point onwards it is getting out of hand and flirting with surrealism.

Having a structure in such a chaotic story is necessary. But the structure wasn’t really there and that’s why the flow of the story wasn’t really good. More specifically, I didn’t find a way to divine the story in parts nor did I find (clearly) the progression that led the story to climax.

The above made the drama quite draggy and difficult to keep up with, even if the directing was good and simple enough. Despite that though, Black’s mystery is quite unique and, let aside the confusion, clever so it is entertaining and it can be likable. There were some moments in which I really appreciated the plot.

~The character development of the protagonist in “Black” reminds of “Mouse”

Both stories of “Black” and “Mouse” are a journey of self-awareness and self reflection of the protagonist. The character we met in the first episode is not the one we end up with in the last.

This way of writing is called “The Hero’s Journey” and I find it really fascinating and not so common in kdramas. Thus, I think the protagonist’s way of writing is Black’s biggest advantage.

Beside the protagonist though, the other characters didn’t have depth. In a plot-centered story like this, this is more likely, but it would have been great if the universe was moving forward like the protagonist did.

That said, the female lead, Kang Ha Ram, was a very promising character whose potential was never unlocked, fully-used and involved within the story. Unlike the male lead, Kang Ha Ram stayed in the dark till the very end, which was really sad.

~The ending reminds of GG14D

I have seen many conflicted opinions about the ending. But whatever your thoughts about it are, it is certainly rushed and somehow incomprehensible.

I’ve read in an interview (link in the comments) that there was a miscommunication between the writer and the director of the drama. The episodes were supposed to be 20, the tone of the drama more melodramatic and the ending slightly different. Maybe this is the reason why Black ended the way it is and I’m really curious to see how the actual ending would have been.

But since #ReleaseTheSynderCut movement didn’t affect Black too, we only have one ending and this is the only one I commented on.

So in my mind, I can see and understand why Black ended the way it did, but it left a bittersweet taste in my mouth. I felt something was missing and wasn’t explained as much as it should have.

In the end, I thought and made my own theory about it based on other theories I read. The final outcome made me satisfied enough. But the thing is, not every viewer is in the mood of theorizing and overthinking about an ending, especially if they don’t not have enough clues to assure them.

In conclusion, the problem with the ending is that even though it has a closure, it’s unfinished because it wasn’t well explained and executed and the final idea of it never reached the audience as it was supposed to. The production team should have paid more attention to it.


~Final thoughts~

From what I wrote, it may seem that I didn’t like Black, but I actually enjoyed watching it. There were moments I laughed, moments I was shocked and moments I was touched. It has many imperfections but its uniqueness offered me a different, from other dramas, experience so overall it was worth it.

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This Season SHINES ITS OWN WAY

It took Stranger 2 to get me to do my 1st review on the site cause I want to share the good things the Cons people didn't see.
I’ll be honest with you: If you’re looking for something like Stranger 1 then you’re not in the right place. If on the other hand you are looking for a BEAUTIFUL REALISTIC STORY like Life or more like Gus Van Sant then welcome to you.

The biggest mistake of the second season was to be out 3 years after the first. It is tainted with the nostalgia it has left in people’s memories. We always prefer everything comes 1st because it brings the beauty of novelty. Stranger 1 introduced a new kind of Thriller, so many, even I expected to relive the same story with season 2.
But after watched it I realized, Stranger 2 isn’t really a season 2, it’s more a Spin off of the first season. Some characters are still there but the story is quite different.
The critics who came back had nothing to do with the quality of the script but rather the codes that defined season 1, Precisely the SM-YJ duo, an investigation conducted throughout the season, the emphasis on secondary characters to the detriment of the main characters. I fully understand these reproaches, one of the goals of a tv show is to follow its established codes and eventually improve its content.
But all these shortcomings in no way detract from the script quality of this season 2. Contrary to the first one, it's much closer to reality, and it MAYBE this that takes away the Blockbuster side of the previous season. Here it's the real life of the job where the hero is not necessarily someone who shines, but rather lives under the codes of a humiliating hierarchy. This season begins as calmly as possible with a good metaphorical scene of Fog, I really love it, You perfectly understand the link between this scene and the original title of the drama, it's a rather original way of saying to the audience, Welcome back to the Forest of Secrets.
And there's a debate that echoes a similar subject in Korea, the investigative powers between Police and Prosecution. Here we talk a lot, a lot, because as in real life everything is a political and every word has its importance, it is a power War between two giants.
Here The Devil is in the Details, this sentence quoted by SM takes all its meaning when we do the retro of the script. It is understandable that such long and difficult to understand conversations are necessary, as well as the introduction of all these new characters.
If you like me, are interested in political and mind games then you will have fun... This season starts very slowly, but don’t let yourself be discouraged, the more you go to the fog of the story, the more fascinating it will be. For my part, if this season didn’t have that Fancy side of season 1, it still shines it own way, it have a much better, smarter, more elaborate and more Realistic scenario. As the writer said the first season was more idealistic than real and hopes with this new season people will aspire to make the world a better place. Oh and Gaho song is so powerful and emotional.

Besides, every time I was asked if we should watch season 1 before season 2, I always said yes because it was necessary for me to understand the essence of the characters. But now that I have an overview of both, I realize that NO, it is absolutely not necessary. On the contrary, I would very much like to have the opinion of anyone who followed season 2 before the 1st. I bet the comments will be completely different than what I read now.
Guys watch it, and if you don't find any interest it's okay.

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Sorry not sorry, can we be spared from the movie? lol

One of the lowest shows I have come across in a while... oh gosh. Worst plot ever, dog cafe without dogs or costumers, not a single coffe was actually served lmao nothing was believable, majory of the scenes were so cringy and hard to watch.. only made it cuz of the korean main actor. Poor guy to have debuted with this.., I wish he has a decent one next time. This was just awful and terrible, even the decent budget wasnt enough to save it from disaster. Mew was a disappointment in this show but at the same time what to do, all lines were cringy and stupid.
I think if both main actors were korean the result would have been different.
Maybe a cute little drama would have come out of it.

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Okay, the plot is from Okita Mitsuba arc, in the manga it is like a minor arc but a very important one since it explained the history of the three important Shinsengumi officers. I really like Hijikata in the manga, so I am happy they chose this arc since he didn't have too much screen time in the live action lol.

You can just watch this one without watching the live action, the storylines are not related. It focused on Sougo and Hijikata with Gintoki on the background. Gintoki is still as awesome as ever even only as a sidekick, don't worry. But Shinpachi and Kagura didn't appear here. Just like the live action, this drama literally follow the manga and didn't change any of the plot so it is very enjoyable for the fans. It used the same style and music from the live action so it didn't feel like two different Gintama.

You can just watch it alone or complete it with the live action. Nicely done, recommended.

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Sweet, pure, romance of two deskmate

This drama is 24 episodes, but each episode isa round 10- 13 minutes long. This drama definitely is really light hearted, and refreshing. I absoutely loved it.

Let's talk about how pure and sweet this drama was. Although there isnt any kissing , but you can feel their chemistry and relationship. It's pure and puppy dog love like. There isnt anything too complicated. There definitely are heart beating moments. Its a little cliche ,but still very sweet and touching.

Female lead is 17 years old. The male lead transfers from another high school. He is portrayed as cool and not really caring about school . Female lead is cute in stature , hardworking but not good at math. This drama is some snippets of what happens during school, like studying for exams, people stealing the class money, every day situation in the classes. It feel really down to earth. I don't know why people give it such a low rating. This drama for once was one that i didnt need the male lead to say " be my girlfriend , or lets be together". They kinda were naturally together and even had the ai mei feel >_<. Its sad that he had to leave, and not see her for ten years, ( that the cliche bit of the story)

I shed some tears in the last episode, where she walks down memory lane and says good bye to her pass and the memories of her deskmate.

Not to mention two of the ost/songs are very catching and is very fitting for this drama! definitely worth listening to and watching this drama. Because this drama was so short, there isnt the need to skip over a lot of parts.

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A wlw anthology series with some cuteness, some smooth moves, and some realistic women

This series is an anthology series produced by Chinese dating app for wlw Rela (which has since changed name to "The L"). I don't know what it is with queer dating apps and short dramas, but I love it (there are also a few Filipino dramas I have watched produced by mlm dating apps). As it is an anthology series, each episode is independent and follows two different women. There are 14 different stories (one of the stories is divided between two episodes), each following one or two women that happen to have the Rela app on their phone.

There is a wide variety of women and a wide variety of stories that encompass a lot of different types of wlw couples and stories. There are meeting up stories, long distance relationships, the "I am in love with my straight best friend" story, a "my girlfriend had an accident and lost all memory of me" story, etc. A lot of different types of stories, each between 2 an 6 minutes. Some are more well-done that others, but all are enjoyable. Some are extremely cute and made me feel all fluffy inside. There are also a wide range of women presented from the most femme ones to the most butch ones (which you really don't see as much in wlw stories, I'd never seen women that butch in stories before), some students, some white collar workers, some bartenders, some musicians, etc. It's really thrilling to see such a wide range of experiences being represented on screen. There's also no homophobia. There can some heartache sometimes, but no story is fully sad and the majority have a full very cute happy ending.
Some of those women have some smooth, smooth moves. Like dang, teach me your ways jiejie because I need that level of skills. Shoot your shot and dare to dream!

You can see that there's not a lot of budget, but that's to be expected from those kinds of shows and it is really nicely filmed still. The audio quality is also good most of the time (there are section where it is hard to hear, but they are not that many and the subs are there) and the production values are quite good. I wouldn't necessarily rewatch the whole series, but some of those short films are nice enough that I could see myself rewatching them if I need some soft content and some smooth moves.

In conclusion, this anthology series only takes around 1h15 to watch and I would highly recommend you do if you need that sweet, sweet wlw content because there is something for everyone and it feels So Very Nice to see such a diversity of women, of gender expressions, and of relationships being shown on screen.

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