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The drama started off slow and didnt make a strong first impression. After the first two episodes, i was actually considering dropping it. But E3 and 4 completely changed my opinion, from there it kept getting better. The plot gradually opened up and became more interesting and engaging with each episode maintaining that momentum consistently till the very end.

I really liked the theme they explored, this wasnt just a simple battle of good vs evil, it was good vs grey vs evil. Seo Dongju represented the pure angelic side, Heo Ildo embodied the grey, morally complex human perspective and Oldie Yeom personified the devilish, corrupt force. The narrative skillfully wove these three forces together, creating a fascinating power dynamic. I especially loved how the human character manipulated by evil throughout ultimately chose to stand with the good, a theme i really like in revenge stories.

The show had a clear makjang flavor and i loved how it leaned into that with dramatic twists that kept the story engaging.

The performances were absolutely spellbinding. Park Hyungsik deserves a bow, he nailed his role completely. His intense confrontational scenes with Heo Ildo in the final episodes were a masterclass in acting. The actors portraying Heo Ildo and Oldie Yeom were equally impressive, bringing depth and intensity to their roles.

Overall this was such a satisfying watch, maybe not right from the beginning but definitely after the first couple of episodes.


9/10

Finally tvN will have a good opening weekend drama after a long time. Hopefully it will get around 3.5-5%.


Realtime rating Resident Playbook Ep1

21.20 KST: 7.18%

21.30 KST: 7.85%

21.40 KST: 6.68%

21.50 KST: 5.73%

22.10 KST: 5.61%

22.27 KST: 5.54%

https://twitter.com/VietAnh82576/status/1911049677459623971?t=w3TiDyHR2pxSY1R_y-Ol_A&s=19

This turned out exactly how I expected, tropey, cringey and with lighting so bright it could make you go blind. But did i enjoy it?? Yes, i was actually laughing the whole time at how cringey & OTT it was lol. The lighting was so intense that in some scenes i could barely see the characters faces and i couldnt even distinguish between their skin tones and the background.

It was a fun riot but not in a good way, definitely more of a guilty pleasure kind of thing.

Also i couldnt help but ridicule the kind of message they were trying to deliver. Apparently traditionally not so good looking people are bad and then im pretty sure they will further solidify this claim by making the good looking MLs warm, kind and total green flags lol.

Gannibal S2 is a cinematic masterpiece. Every frame feels like a work of art and i genuinely havent seen anything this wild and unhinged in years. Each episode left me stunned by the sheer madness of the characters and Gin Goto, the female antagonist is downright bone chilling.

The last two episodes of Hyper Knife bored the hell out of me. There was so much noble idiocy going on, ironically between two protagonists who are supposed to be psychopaths. It felt bizarre watching both psychopathic leads engage in daily soap style noble self sacrifice: one refusing to go under surgery and taking the blame for the other while the other insisted on operating to save his life. Even the investigative drama got so dull that i started skipping scenes. The acting was solid, but the final two episodes were just meh.

8.5/10

E5-6

Im absolutely loving this show. Its exactly what i have been craving from current modern cdramas. It brings back those heart fluttering vibes similar to old modern cdramas. While it does lean into some cliches, they are executed so well that it never feels forced or pretentious, instead it feels genuinely heartwarming. Everything has been good so far and i just hope they handle the Separation - Angst - Reunion arc with care. If they pull that off well, this could easily become one of my favorite modern cdramas of 2025.

Also this show gives off a similar vibe to The First Frost but without the heavy emotional tension. Its smooth, easygoing and light, a feel good watch that effortlessly puts a smile on your face. I loved TFF as well but it leaned more into gloom and intensity whereas this one feels much more uplifting. Both have their own unique charm.

E1-4

So far, so good. The show is cute, fluffy and lighthearted. I wasnt a fan of the first episode at first because the present day scenes were filled with too much business talk. But once the focus shifted to the college flashbacks from 2017, i started liking it more and more.

The leads have great chemistry and look really good together in the flashback scenes, which take up nearly 3.5 of the first 4 episodes. I have a good feeling about this show, i just hope they dont mess it up. Hopefully they will find a way to make the present day storyline where the couple is separated just as engaging.

Heo Ildo dying while protecting his son Dongju, adds another similarity to Penthouse, the grey characters who represent human nature, are always written off 2-3 episodes before the finale to make way for the big battle between devils and angels. These kinds of characters deaths are often used as a buildup to the main showdown and their deaths usually trigger the angels to accelerate their revenge and fight back against the devils.

The same thing happened in Penthouse3, where Oh Yoonhee’s death fueled Shim Suryeon’s revenge plot against Cheon Seojin. The same pattern is happening here too.

Interestingly these grey characters, who embody human nature are usually the starting point of all the chaos. They are the ones who trigger everything and become central to the mess. In Penthouse Oh Yoonhee murdered Min Seolah, which set everything in motion. Similarly in this drama, Heo Ildo murdered Yeo Sunho, Dongju and Dongju’s mother kickstarting the entire conflict.

Im pretty sure this kind of plot draws inspiration from some mythology where humans initiate the conflict and then the battle begins between devils and angels. Humans constantly switch sides but in the end, the devils eliminate them which finally pushes the angels to go all in on their revenge. The symbolism in these types of revenge thrillers is really strong.

He is one of the three main characters, so of course the writers are going to give him as much screentime as the main lead deserves. The entire messy storyline began with him and he remains a central figure in all the chaos. While many fans might dislike his character, he is crucial to the plot. He is not just some side character they can throw away simply because audience has been disliking his negative character.

And just like that Buried Hearts delivered another banger episode. This show just keeps getting better day by day. Even as it approaches its end, its still holding strong.

I personally think Heo Ildo’s character is the most dynamic in the show. There are three main forces at play: Oldie Yeom represents pure evil, a negative force. Seo Dongju is the positive force, someone fighting for revenge. And then there is Heo Ildo, who stands in between, he is a morally grey character.

This setup reminds me of the character dynamics in Penthouse. Seo Dongju is like Shim Suryeon, Heo Ildo is comparable to Oh Yoon Hee and Oldie Yeom parallels Cheon Seojin. Whenever SBS creates a thriller drama featuring three central forces, the devil, the angel and the human, it always turns out to be a surefire hit. I would love to see more stories built on this particular theme.

And on top of that, this show also has makjang elements like birth secrets, getting shot to death and returning to take revenge, very similar to Penthouse Its the perfect makjang thriller recipe.

I really loved the first four episodes. They have a heartwarming, fuzzy and humorous touch.

The two protagonists arrive in Beijing with big dreams but little to no money, only to face a harsh reality check. However they dont lose their spirit. Instead i love how they embrace every moment and have fun rather than dwelling on their struggles.

The first 4 episodes serve as great pilots, giving off a very different vibe from typical modern dramas. One thing i love about this drama is its lead characters, they are both chaotic and seem to share a single brain cell. Its rare to see both leads having such similar personalities and on top of that, they are really funny and full of energy.

E1 was really lame and unfunny.

So you finally showed up with your another fake id after i blocked all your fake backup accounts?? Good for you but i have no interest in your pointless debate.

Blocking you as well.

Portraying reality means acknowledging that both gays and straights coexist in the real world. However most BL shows create a fantasy where everyone is magically gay, ignoring this reality. That’s why its important to depict a world where both sexualities exist together. This does not, in any way, imply that the creator is homophobic, no matter how loudly or repeatedly you insist. He created a BL show where the main couple is gay, which itself proves he isn’t homophobic. If he were, he wouldn’t have made the show in the first place. You can shout about it all you want, but that won’t change the facts.

Furthermore, since the queer community is a minority and often faces mistreatment, its even more crucial to showcase a world where different sexualities coexist. This naturally helps normalize the queer experience in a way that feels organic and inclusive.

"As a gay person, I feel more seen and empowered when I read stories that center exclusively on gay characters and experiences."
You are not the only gay person in the world, and not all gay people feel the same way. I have a very close gay friend and whenever i show him BL, he cringes at how every single character is gay. He absolutely hates how BL, originally created to fulfill straight women’s fantasies, continues to follow that formula. He dislikes how, especially in Thai BLs, the uke is almost always portrayed as overly feminine, when in reality not all ukes are like that. He also resents how BL creators often use gay relationships as a tool to cater to straight women rather than portraying them authentically. He always tells me that, just like we, friends of different sexualities, coexist in real life, he wants to see that kind of representation in media instead of a world where every character is unrealistically gay.
So yes, there are also gay people who feel the same way as my friend. Not every gay person shares your perspective. Some dislike BL precisely because it portrays an unrealistic world where everyone is gay and serves primarily as a fantasy for straight women, rather than reflecting real life diversity.
Say whatever you want, I have explained my point enough times, and im not repeating myself again.

Blocking you.

Heterosexuality doesnt need to be normalized but homosexuality definitely does. One way to achieve this is by showing that both heterosexuality and homosexuality coexist, and thats what the creator tried to do. If he were homophobic, he wouldnt have created this show in the first place. So no matter how you twist statements to make it seem like the creator is homophobic, thats simply not true.

"The existence of BL/gay media is a response to the mainstream media's failure to represent gay stories and experiences. It's unfair and homophobic of you to expect the one platform created for non-straight stories to accommodate straight ones"
BL also exists to help more people accept homosexuality and one way to do that is by showing both straight and gay couples coexisting. However straight dramas dont need to do this because heterosexuality is already normalized unlike homosexuality.

Secondly, managing multiple couples requires more screen time, thats a fact. Trying to balance three couples within just 40 minutes per episode (or barely 38 minutes) across 10 episodes ends up disrupting the entire storyline and prevents any couple from getting proper development. No matter how you justify it, handling multiple characters effectively requires enough time to develop the narrative properly.

Blocking you.

I don’t need your validation for my opinions, so go bark somewhere else.

Then dont agree, who cares. Go on......

Straight dramas can manage multiple couples because they have longer episodes, typically 60- 70 minutes and a higher number of episodes, usually ranging from 12 to 14. Even then they rarely focus on more than two couples. If you compare dramas with two couples to those with more than two, you will realize that even with 12-16 episodes, managing multiple couples is a challenge.

"Before straightwashing gay works, focus on introducing main gay couples into adaptations of straight works to establish a "stronger representation of coexistence" The argument that BL creators shouldnt include straight couples simply because heterosexual dramas dont feature same sex relationships is flawed. The normalization of both heterosexuality and homosexuality is crucial for the queer community. Since mainstream straight dramas rarely take the initiative to portray LGBTQ+ relationships, BL creators have taken on the responsibility of representing diverse identities.

For many queer individuals, seeing their existence reflected in media is not just about visibility, its about validation. Straight relationships are already widely accepted and effortlessly integrated into mainstream narratives, whereas same sex relationships still struggle for equal representation. This imbalance makes it necessary for BL creators to ensure that queer relationships are not only acknowledged but also treated as just as natural and important as heterosexual ones. If mainstream media refuses to take on this role, then the responsibility falls on those who are willing to push for inclusivity.

It matters bcz its his creation, not yours or mine.

It doesnt matter if webtoon author is ok with it.