Completed
Oh! My Emperor
7 people found this review helpful
Jun 16, 2018
21 of 21 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
Technically speaking, I don't think this drama is very good. HOWEVER, it doesn't take itself too seriously and manages to be fun and enjoyable despite the flaws.

STORY:
The storyline is pretty light for the most part. The stakes do get raised towards the end of the season, but it's not too overwhelming. There's a big bad villain with some kind of evil plot, but that stuff mostly just plays out on the side. I personally felt that the ending to this season could have been better (like more impactful or something), but it does its job in making you want to watch season 2.
The romance is also light and fluffy (....until the end, I guess). There's some sort of love polygon between Fei Fei, Tang Yi, Mo Ran, and the other girl zodiac whose name I can't recall. But no one in the polygon is truly evil or mean, which is always refreshing. There's another romantic storyline between the other-other girl zodiac whose name I don't remember and the guy zodiac with the goofy pom-pom beret, but I didn't really care too much about them to be honest.

ACTING/CAST:
Zhao Lusi is really cute and charming - I really like her here! Xiao Zhan (Mo Ran) and Wu Jia Cheng (the emperor's little brother) were also stand-out. Like a lot of the other viewers, I liked Mo Ran a lot more than Tang Yi even though the poor boy never even had a chance :( I feel like Xiao Zhan pulled off his character better than Jason Koo did his, but I think the writers share at least some of the blame for that.

MUSIC:
Not too bad. I think the producers REALLY liked that one insert song, the cute indie-sounding one that Zhao Lusi and Jason Koo sing. It reminded me a lot of Double Trouble Couple from Do Bong Soon lol

OVERALL:
This is a good show to watch if you are looking for something fluffy and light, something that won't work your brain cells too hard. I didn't think I was going to enjoy this show, but I ended up marathoning the whole thing! Flawed, but charming and enjoyable.

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Completed
The Heavenly Idol
7 people found this review helpful
Mar 24, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 2.5
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 1.5
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

What even is this!?

this drama start good, light and with so much potential but its just keep looking meh, list of things that really annoyed me
1. Where is wild animal full performance? its always being ruin by bluberry 🙃
2. I seriously doesnt get why in the end they manage to snatch an award, its not realistic looking at how big of a scandal YW gets
3. YW manage to won actor award? for what? at least they have to show a bit of his "acting" bcs all i watch is him busy with those evil boys
4. grim reaper is weaker than i thought
5. bluberry is weak while the devil is so overpower its annoying
6. the props, cgi and overall sets in this drama just looking so cheap like...is this web drama? the quality is just drop every episode
7. SPIRIT OF SEAWEED?! what in the holy spirit is going on!? is this lazy writing!? 😭

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Completed
Thirty but Seventeen
7 people found this review helpful
May 5, 2020
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 7.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
This review may contain spoilers

Enjoyable if you don't mind a FL who is extra about everything

I finished this one a couple of days ago after stopping for a while when I was just one episode from the finale.

I will never rewatch this series but I'm glad I saw it. It introduced me to some fine actors and satisfied my curiosity about how such a premise could be realized in a drama. On the latter question I think they did very well.

Now that I've watched to the end, though, for me the last two episodes felt like filler. The solution to the mystery about the aunt and uncle was pretty mundane considering the screen time given to the FL's angst over it. (Looking back, I think the main purpose of that set-up was to give the FL a reason to stay in the ML's house. If she'd found her aunt right away then she would have moved in with her instead.)

It was also tacky for the writers to engineer the plot at the very end so that the FL was all hyped to go to Europe, leaving the ML alone and lonely, then changed her mind at the last second so that they could have yet another reunion scene on the bridge. Please.

As for the rest of the series, my main issue is with the FL in the 30yo version of the character. I think she over-acted to an extreme. Every emotional scene (and there were many) was pitched at the highest level. This was true whether she was happy or sad. It was as if the director's notes for her were always: "As you're saying these lines of dialog, imagine you're being electrocuted." The character also seemed too slow on the uptake and over-emotional every time she realized how the world had changed since she'd been in a coma.

I don't think these directorial choices added anything to the story. For me the constant barrage of emotion just got annoying. If you have a character who keeps going berserk about everything, those moments of emotion lose their ability to move the viewer.

My second issue with the series is the number of times a coincidental "near-miss" ended up postponing the revelation that the FL was the same girl that the ML was drawn to when they were kids. It got to the point that when one of these moments approached I was no longer excited, I was only curious how the writers would thwart us again at the last second. Sometimes the way they did it made me laugh. Let's just say it's probably a good thing that I can't rate this series based on the number of eye-rolls rather than a number of stars.

I loved loved loved the younger cousin character, Yoo Chan. Ahn Hyo Seop's performance made him into so much more than a SML or source of comic relief. (Although his funny moments were indeed very funny, and very welcome.)

The ML was also did an excellent job, but his character is so accomplished and mature that it made me wonder how he could possibly fall in love with a mess like the FL.

The rest of the supporting cast was also very good.

And, since I've criticized the writers for a couple of things let me praise them for something: what they came up with as the reasons why the ML shouldn't feel guilty about the bus accident. That little twist was impressive, and I should add that the ML's reaction to the revelation was a moment of superb acting.

If the FL had just toned down her own acting then I think this series could have been quite outstanding. It makes me think I need to see Shin Hye Sun in another role just to assure myself that this isn't her only performance mode.

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Completed
Bokura no Shokutaku
7 people found this review helpful
by Shiro
Jun 9, 2023
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 7.0

Cute and Angsty

Some people may say this is a drama about loneliness, others may say it is about how a persons childhood trauma can leave them scared shitless... Others or the same people may say this is a sweet and fluffy romance. And then there are probably those who will focus a lot on the kid and how this is about found family and connections.


Me I managed to mention all of the above and probably left something out of this too but what I am trying to say is that this short drama has a lot to offer to different people depending on which angle they choose to look at this. As I am sure there is more to dig out of this very short drama. So basically so little screen time so many angles. Without it becoming messy. An achievement not many writers will active so hats off to the writer of this story.

The characters in here are all lovable, lovely, human beings with a bunch of flaws, fears and very different personalities that mix beautifully together to create very little drama but a whole lot of angst.

I personally love the way our lonely male lead talks with the kid in this drama instead of to the as many other grownups often do,

I can also relate so some of the fears shown in this drama, I am not going to get in to details about this but will say that the characters in this are indeed highly relatable.

This is definitely a short drama I recommend to most, they could have switched out some of the flashbacks to the past to some more details about relationships past. Part of me would have wanted some parts to pick up the pace other parts of me found the at times annoyingly slow pace to be true to the story so I guess this is just one of those things that will leave me undecided and up to you watchers to figure out how you feel about it.

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Completed
Voice
7 people found this review helpful
Jul 15, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

How this show got multiple seasons is beyond me.

I go into detail about the plot here so this review is full of spoilers. You've been warned.

Oh, boy. This one was a journey. I'm glad to say I've survived it.

I'll start by saying that crime shows are my all-time favorites and after finishing Beyond Evil a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon VOICE and the premise sounded nice (they are nothing alike besides the fact that we have a serial killer, but I was on a roll). An overall score of 8.5 here was also a plus. What I've learned, however, is not to trust scores too much. I've gathered all my strength to give a 7.5 although as I write this I keep feeling it deserves an even lower score. I feel I'm being too nice because of Kim Jae Wook. He's messing with my head.

Speaking of him, let's start with the good stuff.

A good crime show needs a good villain. It should make you feel disgust or fascination, or both. I think Kim Jae Wook was successful in achieving both. His voice, his looks, his facial expressions, were all on point. Towards the last 2 episodes, he carried the show on his back. And that's the reason I could finish it.
I also liked his MO, I don't remember ever seeing a killer using a kettlebell before. That got us some gruesome (although blurred) scenes, at least for kdrama standards (which doesn't show too much, let's be real). What I didn't like were the random killings. At first, I thought he focussed on killing women, that that was his "thing" but there was nothing specific about his killings besides the fact that he wanted to (as a good psychopath). The ones with a motive were people who got in his way, which, okay, I get it. This is not an inconsistency of the writing whatsoever, it's just personal preference. You couldn't do a profile of him considering his victims alone (not at first), because sometimes they didn't have anything in common. Again, personal preference regarding serial killer shows. I like the "he kills girls with dark middle part hair because it reminds him of his ex" like Ted Bundy or something. KJW wasn't like that, he didn't have a type. But you do you, booboo.

But overall, he's a highlight in the show, at least when it comes to acting, plot holes aside. And you get to see him in a bathtub at least 3 or 4 times. I swear every time I've said "I'm about to drop it", there he was in the tub again. Jesus.

Another highlight was the cases the team had to solve. I think the guest actors deserve all the praise in this show. They did everything they were supposed to do and more. You could feel their pain. Unlike the main duo who both had big traumas but failed to show the amount of raw emotion the guests showed us. Props to Choi Seung Hoon who was only 8 or 9 years old when the show aired and did amaaaaazing in his case!! This kid is so, so good. Can't wait to see him nailing main roles when he reaches his 20s. :) But honestly, all the guests deserve praise here, they were all great.

Now for the ugly part.

The main characters - Moo Jin Hyeok and Kang Kwon Joo - were really lackluster. Jin Hyeok was rude most of the time, hit the same note the whole show and it was hard to... I don't know, like him? The same goes for Kwon Joo. She's soft-spoken, which I think was a great contrast between her character and the job she has, which needs to be very fast as it is literally a race against time. But it also made me very frustrated while watching, her "nervous" tone didn't differ much from her normal tone except that she talked faster. I know she needs to be calm while talking to the victims, but you want her to be more active and she never is. She has "super hearing" which should be the main point of the show because that's what makes it different from other crime series but the only thing you know about it is the fact that she suffered an accident as a kid that made her that way. What about showing her accident through a flashback and give us a little of how was for her to get used to this new "ability"? How hurtful it was a first, how it changed her life? We get none of that!!

As for Jin Hyeok, we see 2 flashback scenes of him with his wife. Tops. I know they loved each other because, well, they were married so that's that! I mean, okay then??

I want to root for them because I care about them as characters and not because they are the good guys and that's the right thing to do. Give me something more than that. Give me development.

The way they investigate things was such a joke sometimes. We have countless scenes of the policemen running like a bunch of morons, without any success whatsoever. I swear to god that I almost throw my remote control at my TV when they started chasing Kim Jae Wook's character, who was INJURED AFTER BEING SHOT AND SORT OF DRUGGED AFTER THE HOSPITAL SHANNENIGANS, and he managed to escape!!! With 15 fucking people chasing him!! How useless can the police fucking get? I kept watching because it was the last episode but I swear I was done episodes ago.

That scene when they arrive at his beach house and both of them notice there's fresh blood in the ground right at the entrance and they are like "look, fresh blood!!" and instead of going inside the house where there's probably a very serious thing happening, they start talking to each other about things they can talk about later! I mean, didn't you just saw fresh blood in front of a serial killer's house? Maybe go a little faster and you might save someone? You've just let Dae Shik get his head smashed, congrats!

For a show about how time can save lives, you guys sure like to waste a lot of it.

Jin Hyeok's avoiding the gunshots by doing tumbles was just laughable. Oh, but at least they used their guns this time, which is better than nothing considering that part where the killer goes to Kwon Joo's house (and she knows about it because Jin Hyeok warned her) and she grabs a KNIFE to defend herself. You have a gun, why are you using a knife? Like, why? I'm not even going to talk about Jin Hyeok talking to her through the phone without leaving the police station during this very dangerous situation. Oh, I think I just did. Anyway, can't you talk to her and run to your car at the same time? Is that too much for you? But you can avoid being shot by rolling like a ball. Sure.

Did they ever explain why the hell there are 3 characters with the same weird mouth sound? Did I miss something? Was that really necessary?

I could go on and on about the bad and weak points of Voice and writing this is making me remember all of them, but this review is already long enough. I've said in the beginning that I gave this a 7.5 but now I'm changing it because I was being too generous (I feel like I still am). Kim Jae Wook and the guest actors deserve all the props for managing to make me watch this til the end. Too bad the main plot did them dirty, making this show with high potential at not-so-solid 6.5 at best.

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Completed
Smoking
7 people found this review helpful
Sep 5, 2020
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
I always say that no one does dark and twisted stories like Japan do. Smoking is exactly like that, gruesome, brutal and disgusting that it's sometimes even hard to watch, but it also had a main storyline written around really likeable and well-written characters which makes the entire experience really unique because of the emotional investment you had to endure. Even if you are hesistant to accept the character's actions at first you'll end up rooting for them as soon as you realize they're another victims of a vicious circle of crime. There is no good in this story but there is definitely a lot of evil.
There is also that perverse satisfaction of watching and accepting lynch as a right form of seeking justice on murderers, rapists and members of the mafia. The fact that all of this happens in a criminal 'demimonde' is almost like a permission to accept that unlawful method thus our deepest desire to punish those monsters is alleviated.
Every piece of the story is well thought out and it comes together into enjoyable, thrilling and satisfactory ending. Definitely worth a watch especially if you're in the mood for something bold, ruthless, unusual and weirdly entertaining.

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Completed
17.3 About a Sex
7 people found this review helpful
Oct 3, 2021
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 10

A must watch for young people and parents.

This drama follows Seino Sakura and her high school friends as they learn about and explore different issues related to dating, sex and sexuality. They comprehensively cover all those issue that a teenager might face. It is basically everything sex ed should be in a drama.

Everyone should have access to factual information, free from bias and taboos. I feel that 17.3 About a Sex does a good job in this area. It is well-made, well-researched, well-presented in a mature, non-judgemental way. Safe for young people to watch alone, with friends or with parents. I would highly recommend this.

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Completed
Castaway Diva
7 people found this review helpful
Dec 3, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

SO MUCH MORE THAN WHAT I EXPECTED ♡

Wow, I cannot believe this has ultimately reached its end, six weeks went by in the blink of an eye. Castaway Diva is so much more than anything anyone expected. Emotional and heartbreaking from the very first episode, it set the tone right and never disappointed once ever since. Even when one thought the main or side story could get messed up or disappoint viewers, it managed to prove us wrong.

The characters were beautiful and raw. Mok Ha and Ki Ho left such an impression from when they were school kids on Chunsam Island that it was impossible not to feel for their story and cheer for them to have a happy ending. They both went through so much even as they grew up and as adults, so I was the happiest when they finally managed to let go of their worries and finally be happy together with the people they love the most. Woo Hak/Chae Ho was always such a scene-stealer, his goofy and straightforward personality lit up the scenes in more ways than one. The Kang (or should I say Lee) brothers' love and support for each other and the way they had different ways to express themselves was one of the highlights of the drama. They are so different in personality but that's how siblings are, it was so relatable. They were so funny and adorable and I am going to miss seeing them onscreen together. The supporting cast was brilliant, every character was built on different human emotions, you could understand their motives, fears and moves and that is what made these characters human and relatable. Ki Ho's father is the only character that I despised the most but hats off to the actor, as these feelings only come out when an actor manages to portray them well, Lee Seung Joon is always such a versatile actor. On this note, a big part of this drama was its actors, and Park Eun Bin once again proved why she is the amazing star that she is: I have watched almost all of her dramas and she is such a talented actress, she portrays her roles with such diligence and perfection and this time she even sang so many songs for the OST and this step further made her shine in the role of Seo Mok Ha, as it is her voice and the facial expressions that made it such a delight to watch. I don't miss any of Chae Jong Hyeop's dramas as well and once again he charmed us with his eyes and amazing smile, the best Ki Ho we could have ever gotten. His facial expressions and acting are so captivating and I am so excited to see his future lead roles, he is a fantastic actor. It was my first time watching Cha Hak Yeon and Kim Hyo Jin and now I want to check out more of their works, I loved them so much: they were rash and almost selfish in so many instances but I can't fault them as these actions made their characters unique and real, and as actors, they were brilliant in portraying them.

A special shoutout to the child actors, Lee Re and Moon Woo Jin, they have such a bright future ahead of them, and the level of detail and passion they have at such a young age is commendable. The way they made us cry and love them in that first episode, wow I don't think a first episode ever left this much impact on me. It was like a whole movie, rather than an episode :)

The OST is such a hit, not one song is a skip, especially Park Eun Bin's songs, she surprised me so much, and her voice is so beautiful that I need her to sing OSTs in every drama she does from now onwards.

I have only praise for this drama, and I am happy about it. I enjoyed the last six weeks, waited for the weekend, and rushed everything so I would be sat when the episodes dropped on Netflix. Thanks to the excitement, the whole week would pass in a blur and I just genuinely enjoyed all the beautiful emotions this drama took out of me. I cried, I laughed, I was furious but the next moment I was giggling and covering my mouth at cute and fluffy scenes. This drama is a full package of emotions, so please be ready to feel them all along with the characters and I promise you won't be bored.

Thank you Castaway Diva, I was really happy the last six weeks. Thank you to the amazing cast, directors, screenwriters and all the staff for bringing this absolute gem to our screens. This is a 10/10 for me without even thinking, they deserve it in every aspect ♡

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Completed
Sad Temptation
7 people found this review helpful
Dec 15, 2019
2 of 2 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
That was freaking old but it was good to watch !! .. Korea really have a lot of good drama even in 90's never expect that !!

The acting was so goood all of them touched my heart
specially Joo Jin Mo !!!!!! i cried with him , he really broke my freaking heart :(
I never actually knew that he was the king in A Frozen Flower he looks so freaking diffrenet :D anyway worth to watch <3


The music was so sad but warming the heart !! i really love it so much <3


i would rewatch it but not any time soon it was really sad
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Completed
Angelo
7 people found this review helpful
Aug 30, 2017
30 of 30 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 6.5
I picked up this drama on a whim because there was nothing else on I felt like watching, and was very pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it and ended up pretty much binge watching.

This story revolves around Li Xiaohan, a single mother of a daughter, Yiping, who contracted HIV after a blood transfusion. They live open a bed and breakfast on Baisha Island. Li Xiaohan definitely falls into the "naive but kind country girl" trope, but in her own way, is a very resilient character whose weakness is thinking of others too much.

An Jieluo is definitely plays into the the trope of a very over the top, bad-tempered, "bark is worse than his bite" rich second-generation heir, but he is also a talented doctor. After he loses his job for beating someone up at the hospital (his bad-tempter is no joke), he goes to work on Baisha Island where his mother's building a resort.

The resort project is lead by Jiang Fengen, the second male lead and Li Xiaohan's ex (who is still in love with her, of course). Xu Yiyun, Fengen's current girlfriend, who is the daughter of a company executive and a violinist goes with him to Baisha Island.

Yiping is also a complete delight to watch, and super duper cute. Much of the tension in the middle of the drama is about HIV, and how the villagers on Baisha Island don't understand it and react badly.

My favourite thing about this drama is how it subverts the evil mother-in-law/ex-girlfriend/girl-who-likes-the-guy-who-likes-you tropes that are pretty much staple in Asian dramas. There were elements of some of those, but they were handled maturely and not made a big deal of. Basically, the women who are usually pit against each other actually sat down, thought things through and talked with each other. I especially appreciated the friendship between Xiaohan and Yiyun.

All in all, it's a very steady, character-orientated and mature drama with no huge ridiculous eyeroll-worthy drama and villains.

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Completed
The Crowned Clown
7 people found this review helpful
by esulio
Mar 5, 2019
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 6.0
As a big fan of Yeo Jingoo I was really excited for this drama. I was hooked right from the beginning, the story is really good and then, around episode 10 it starts to drag on and the second half isn't as entertaining as the first one. Don't get me wrong, it is a good drama but episode 10 to 13 focus way too much on the romance between the clown and the Queen and everything else is put aside, so I found them quite boring. I was really into the political aspects of the drama but sometimes the romance is too present, it's getting annoying. I like a little bit of romance in this kind of drama but for me it was too much for a political drama. However, the last two episodes bring back the political aspect in the first row, making them as enjoyable as the first ones. The ending though is too long as the last 40 minutes could have been done in 15.
The humour was enjoyable and allowed the viewer to take a breath from the tension arising from each episode.

The acting was VERY VERY good. Yeo Jingoo is wonderful in both roles, he portrayed really well the duality between the two characters and it is a shame we didn't get to see more of it. The scene in the first episode when the King and the clown met is, for me, the best scene of the drama. Jang Youngnam as the Queen Dowager was great, her acting in the last few episodes blew me away. All the actors are great in their roles. I'm a little perplexed about Lee Seyoung but in front of Yeo Jingoo, it's hard to shine, or maybe it was her character who wasn't that well written.

The music is good, especially the one they put at the end of each episode, it keeps the tension going up and you just want to know what comes next.

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Completed
Bring It On, Ghost
7 people found this review helpful
Jan 27, 2017
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 3.5
Music 4.0
Rewatch Value 6.5
I was hesitant in starting this drama because it just looked stupid to me. Like hunting ghosts? really? that sounded terrible to me. But I watched it anyways and it was very cute and I was not disappointed. In fact I was pretty impressed by the story line. They had many small stories undermining a general larger one which I find very interesting.
Some scenes were scary, but don't worry. In the middle of the scary scenes, there will always be some form of comic relief. The drama ended perfectly. I would not have ended it any other way.
It has an amazing story despite some awkward acting at some points and I would recommend this drama.

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Completed
Introverted Boss
7 people found this review helpful
Mar 15, 2017
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
Introverted Boss holds a special place in my heart because I could relate so much to Hwan Gi Depyonim :) It's like I'm watching my everyday life!
Anyway, this drama is just so good! Love the flow of the story. At first, I feel so annoyed by Ro Woon though I tried to understand the reasons behind her actions. Before I decided to watch this, I watch some video clips of it on YouTube and instantly fall in love with the characters' chemistry. I am not even a fan of the Main Leads, but after this one, I love them already! Their acting is not that bad. YWJ is such a great actor portraying his character and I think PHS can improve. I love her cheerfulness and outgoing personality, which is very opposite to her Boss, what disappointed me was when she confronted Woo Il about the drawing, I really wished she cried, but IDK maybe the director told her not to? I felt that scene was lacking from emotions. Anyway, She's not that bad as a rookie. :) Now I'm planning in watching their dramas.
Recently, I've been watching Kdramas and I wonder why I'm not that attached to their OSTs but this drama's OSTs just keeps me singing! They've successfully enter my head and I'm having a hard time taking them out. I think you can already tell that I love every bit of this drama ;)

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Completed
Our Secret
7 people found this review helpful
Sep 8, 2021
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.5
This review may contain spoilers

Took the Youth genre in another level

Chinese youth drama genre is a thing of its own. They've owned this genre for years now. As a sucker for this genre, similar elements and plot lines do not bother me for I consume them without batting an eye. At times, they still add little more spices to make sure they have their own flavor and still be classified on its own beauty among the rest. I thought I've exhausted and seen the most out of this genre but in 2021, a drama which was not originally part of my watchlist rose to the top of this year's favorite dramas of mine, and that is Our Secrets (Secrets in the Lattice).

Sometimes, Chinese dramas have shaky introductions of the plot where you have to wait for five or more episodes in order for you to fully fit and be comfortable with whatever you are watching. However, for Our Secrets, I never had that kind of problem--instead of waiting five episodes, I only needed five minutes of its first episode to decide that, "Yes, I will keep on watching this drama." Right then and there, the drama captured my interest (and probably my heart too.)

The story started with in medias res (a narrative work beginning in the midst of the plot.) With this tactic, they already knew they would be piquing the interest of whoever jumps into the drama without reading the plot (just like me). As a passerby, you'll definitely wonder why the heck you were already given an angst without prior notice! Therefore, you'd proceed and tadah, without warning, you'll be really into it already.

ZHOU SI YUE
Don't even start me with this character. Never have I encountered a character like ZSY in years of my drama watching. Especially with this kind of plot, a refreshing youth like him definitely is one of the million reasons why I fell in love with the drama's story telling. They made a character that has flaws. Okay let's be honest, in youth dramas, male leads, more often than not, are the very definition of stone-faced, tsundere, and a person who never really cares with others' feelings. They are whom what the whole institution are looking up to not just because of their good looks but because of their genius brains (those who naps and get to sleep 8 hours a night, never study but still remain to be the top student). Zhou Si Yue, on the other hand, given that he has both qualities, he is not stone-faced nor a tsundere. He jokes around, spends time with his friends, a filial son, plays basketball, studies and gets distracted. He competes on a national level and because of this, his school ranking sometimes drop few places from his original rank. With this, you can see how they've made him like us--something we can relate to. Because yes, it is so impossible for us to encounter those male leads we have met in the past. With Si Yue, we somehow believed that we have been classmates with someone like him.

DING XIAN
Oh dear. The dearest and most adorable Xianxian. Ding Xian is such a lovable character. Throughout the drama, her development was the proudest I am of them all. She started off as a timid and introverted newly transferred student. She never thought she would gain friends, thus, she opted to shut her doors with anyone who would approach her. But with the help of her desk mate and other classmates, she started to warm and held the knob of her once shut door. She knew her weaknesses but still worked hard to lessen the obvious gap. She's also aware of what she wants. Although at first, she couldn't fight back with her mother who dictates what her daughter should do and should not, but later on, she found her courage and stood firm on what she believed was right and best for her. It is so nice to see a character like her, a character who might not be gifted with so much academic skills but we saw how much she worked hard in order to enter a prestigious school in the country.

Moreover, the whole Our Secrets gang added so much fun in the story telling. Second and third cps were not annoying unlike most of what I've seen in c-dramas. I actually never had to forward their scenes. The roles of Kong Sha Di and Song Zi Qi were not birthed for the sole purpose that this drama may have supporting roles. They were more than that. It's been a while since I last witnessed supporting characters having a strong footing in the storyline.

All in all, give Our Secrets a chance. I grinned like crazy, laughed out loud, and cried because of nostalgia for this made me look back during the days of my youth. This drama came a surprise and I am glad I decided to watch it.

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Completed
Login to You
7 people found this review helpful
Jan 4, 2020
3 of 3 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
This review may contain spoilers
*THIS REVIEW EXPLAINS THE STORY, SO BE WARNED THERE ARE HUGEEEEE SPOILERS*
So, after this mini series... I was lowkey shocked. I did not expect the ending, i-
aNyWaY, this short lil drama is about people who use this dating app (similar to tinder) called Login, and we have our main gal who uses this app A LOT, seeing lots of guys and not really taking it seriously. However, she meets Hae Nam, who she generally starts to fall for, and it's all going great... Until he realises she's been seeing another guy on the downlow. Now, it ain't anything romantic, however they did meet through Login, so of course Hae Nam is realll upset and they cut contact. Our female lead finally realises how much she misses our main dude, and calls him to meet up... But she's turned him into what she was before, someone who uses the app for hookups and not for anything serious - so it's like a continuous loop.
I really liked this mini drama, I've actually never seen anything superrrr similar to it (then again, I haven't watched lots of dramas lmao) but, the ending really took me by surprise! I thought they were gonna be together forever and all that shit... But obviously not lol. I WAS QUAKINGGGG!!!
Overall, easy quick watch if you're looking for something short and qUiRkY c:

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