Anti-hero Dark Lord Meets Insufferably Stupid Fairy

I finally got through all the episodes. Phew, almost dropped it a few times.

LIKES:
Beautiful sets and cinematography.
Special FX were good, same with CGI use.
Music was appropriate, but nothing stood out.
WRITING: The heavenly tribes aren’t as purely good as they seem. I liked that they showed the heavenly ones as being flawed. Also liked that the dark tribe/hell fire came across as stronger than the heavenly fire. Don’t see that often.
COSTUMES: Embroidery was nice, the dark/devil ML had a better costume than most.
ACTING: ML did very good and has matured as an actor. When they did the body switch parts, ML was good & FL did okay too. FL did best as the Goddess parts.

DISLIKES:
WRITING: Orchid Fairy (FL) is just too dumb and very whiney. It wasn’t like she’s just naive or innocent, more that she’s purely stupid. I found her ignorant too. (That all could be the actress’s fault or the directing, not sure which.) Typical tropes and cliches of this fantasy drama genre. Also the 2nd couple (Jie Li and Shang Que) wasn't necessary and the ending was disappointing. Also for all of the characters, other than Dongfang Qing Cang & his brother, there was no character growth.
PRODUCTION/EDITING: During flying moments or falling, it is so obvious that they are in harness with ropes.
FX: The swords all look like children’s halloween costume props. “Fight scenes” were very lame looking.
ACTING: FL was over the top cutesy and not in a good way. Some stand out performances, but the rest was just average. Even though ML & 2ML (Changheng) tried their best, there was just no chemistry with FL at all. FL (Orchid) had over the top cute fairy acting but just too much and got annoying fast. You can be sweet without a stupid voice, it was like a tooth ache eating cotton candy. Just terrible. From episode 12 and on I had to mute FL’s parts, because I just couldn’t take listening to her anymore. I read subtitles instead.
COSTUMES: The “crowns” or head gear looked laughably plastic. Not very creative in the costume department and if they hadn’t constantly told us she’s from the fairy realm, you wouldn’t know it. [Not by costumes, other than the pastel colours.]

OVERALL: So far very over rated, unless you are just starting out watching shows from this genre. As a starter Fantasy Drama I would recommend it, for those of us who have watched a lot of these types of dramas I don't recommend it (unless you are a child or a teenager). I watched it until the end, but was tempted to drop it often. Dylan Wang did a great job acting as Dongfang, enough for me to check out some of his other roles. (Originally I wasn't impressed but that was after watching Meteor Garden.) I'm glad this drama is over though.

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Too much bad (especially the writing) wiped out the good

LIKEs:
Apartment and office sets were well designed.
Location scenes, like the temple and the Aunt’s place, the boating moments= beautiful
Good and appropriate wardrobe
Music that helped express feelings of the characters due to the lyrics being sung, were well chosen.
Actors and actresses for the most part well casted.
Finally a psychiatrist is suggested in a Thai drama where the main character goes through trauma!
I also liked that Uea’s healing was gradual.
The issue with the Stepfather was handled abruptly, but at least he was punished
Wardrobe was suitable and fashionable.

DISLIKES:
Writing:
UEA is abused by: mother, uncle, ex-boyfriend and Boss Krit
Ridiculous amount of abuse towards UEA, that by the time the Boss Krit gets in on the abuse, it has become sadly laughable.
Too many sex type scenes, so there is no impact by their intimacy. There wasn’t much chemistry between the Male leads, even though they tried to make it so.
Under developed characters: King’s back story
Plot holes were noticeable and the script was poorly created.
Every bad review on here talks about the terrible writing, so I won’t repeat what they’ve covered.
Production:
Bad editing where scenes cut off abruptly and then more filler scenes. Very bad editing. (Even towards end of series)
Music:
Abruptly playing music, even just audio while actress or actor speaking, then cutting it off suddenly. Doesn’t add suspense or anything and drowns out the voice speaking.
Acting:
The forced crying was just terrible acting. They could have panned the camera away, put in eye drops and made better crying moments. When the character Jade cried in the last episode it was so bad I hit mute.
Uea’s mother, the actress was not good. She over did everything, but that might have been the Director’s fault.
Directing:
Overly long moments where the actor/actress paused too long or stared forever, etc. This caused pacing issues, and the time could’ve been used more wisely.

OVERALL:
As with all Thai dramas the product placement was overly present. Unfortunately the bad writing and editing, etc., weighed down the potential of this drama. I wont rewatch it and there are better BL dramas to watch, so I wont recommend this either. Waste of time.

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Quirky law drama

LIKES:
Actors and actresses well selected for their roles.
The premise and execution of each episode.
A satisfactory ending, but would love a second season.
Loved the delivery of law, whale and autism facts.
Loved seeing the background whales when Attorney Woo was inspired or happy.
Just enough romance, without it being the focus of the drama (and if it was supposed to be, then they failed, lol).
Even though it had a lot of the usual trope, it was decently written and directed.
Music was mostly enjoyable, the whale sounds were cute.
I had the full range of emotions; happy, sad and annoyed.
I liked Attorney Woo’s quirks.
I liked FL & ML’s interaction and wanted more of that to be explored, end seemed a little rushed.
Cinematography and colour palette was good too.

DISLIKES:
Shaky camera syndrome typical with a lot of kdramas, (Please can people start using a film stabilizer!).
Secondary romance wasn’t necessary between Choi Too Yeon and Kwon Min Woo.
Hardly any development of supporting characters or especially ML, Lee Joon Ho.
Every case was ended too easily and not enough mixed final rulings, to show greater range of reaction from Attorney Woo.
Sometimes the background music was a bit too loud and it made hearing the actors and actresses a little hard.
No conclusion about the fates of her colleagues and how their relationships developed. It needed more of how Attorney Woo was slowly changing them too, with her honesty, etc.
There were times I fast forwarded because pacing was a little off, especially in the second half of the drama.
The autism part of the drama was very understated, although FL did a fantastic job with her character.
They failed with showing how Attorney Woo matured and showed independence, by getting a job as a lawyer and exploring romance.
Needed more suspense for it to be a good drama.

OVERALL:
It’s enjoyable to watch, but I didn’t binge it. Has it’s faults and is a bit overrated, but I would recommend it to others. Everything is very suitable for a teenage audience. I wont rewatch it, but would give a the second season a chance, if they do give us more.

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Good Action Bad Writing

LIKES:
Sets and location selection.
Music/sounds were fitting and never overpowered the actors/actresses.
Wardrobe for the most part was good (see dislikes for clarification).
Hair and makeup was good.
FX: certain aspects were well done, (see dislikes for the bad parts). I loved the opening sequence of showing the golden armour.
Fight sequences were performed well, some parts reminded me of Mortal Kombat and video games. Mark Dacascos was a standout as usual and same with Mackenyu.

DISLIKES:
FX:
CGI was very noticeable, especially in the car sequences and flying machine parts. Digital effects weren’t as spectacular as I had hoped and expected of a 2023 movie.
Wardrobe: the armour of the Knights (Mackenyu & Diego Tinoco) looked very cheesy, as if there was no budget left for that. Same with the bad guy minion armour; like it’s a rip off or recycled from Robocop or some other show.
Production:
Choppy editing, colour palette for the bad guys very muted and same with the Knights, only giving us colour variations for their Energy force aka Cosmos.
Wardrobe:
the Knight’s armour was laughably bad;
Writing:
The movie expects everyone knows the background information (from the manga or anime). I do, but others would be lost if they don’t. The movie skips over a lot of important details for Seiya, even though they tried putting it into his past memories. Without that foundation, I don’t know if sequels will be made, unless they backtrack to develop it all better. Also Guaad’s second in command (Diego Tinoco)’s backstory is left out completely.
I missed the depth given about Greek myths and destiny like we got in the anime, because it was very downplayed and the impact wasn’t there. Even the connection between Athena and her Knights or Sienna and Seiya, was under delivered. This wasn’t due to bad acting, but bad script.
They created a plot using ideas from the 2019 Netflix CGI/animation show, not the original manga.

OVERALL:
Reminds me of the recent failed attempts at film makers have had while making live action from manga or anime stories (Full Metal Alchemist, Devilman, Dragon Ball: Evolution, Attack On Titan, Black Buttler, etc). It’s an okay watch and the cast did the best they could with what was given. The story is a little too complex to tell within the time frame of a movie, it would’ve been better as a TV series. As a fan of Mackenyu I thank him and the director for giving us enough of his visual appeal. He obviously worked hard in a gym to get to that point. Fans of the original 1980s anime, might be disappointed. I recommend it for the fights, but not if you expect a well executed plot. I don't need to watch it again.





************SPOILER ALERT************************


Felt like they ripped off the Wolverine moment when he goes to save Gene Grey, to show Seiya coming to save Sienna.

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SLOW but Cute

LIKES:
Cinematography, location settings, colour pallet and lighting.
Editing: was done well and I didn’t notice any production issues, like shaking camera or overly zoomed in shots.
Acting: was good (some of the supporting characters were just okay) and the cast well chosen for their characters.
Writing: I liked that for once there were no obvious toxic themes, which is dominant in Thai BL stories, especially in the last few years.


DISLIKES:
Writing:
I do like a slow burn romance, but this is simply ridiculous how many time their “first kiss” is interrupted or they delay it. There is no progress with their relationship and the support is too one sided. When Tinn had a meeting to further his dream of being a doctor, he gave it up to support Gun AGAIN. None of the characters show any growth throughout the show. But even if they didn’t kiss, where is the chemistry beyond just the staring into each other’s eyes. The teasing that is usually done really well in Thai BL stories, doesn’t seem to exist here. There are a lot of “filler” moments, that could’ve been removed, to give time for the actual relationships of all the couples. They are in high school, not middle school, people kiss a few times if not do more by the time they are finishing the first year of high school. This is 2023 where physicality isn’t as taboo as it once was.
Also the plot about the whole band winning Hot Wave was also drawn out way too long.
It’s like they are dragging everything out, just so they have more product placement time, which was made over the top obvious.
Pacing was an issue and the ending seemed too rushed, especially with how the sexual bigotry in the last episode was resolved.
After episode 9 and everything was delayed again, I started to get bored, to the point of almost dropping it.
Music:
Music was okay, but normally I don’t like too much singing. That was a little too frequent here and so their big stage moment was anti-climatic.
Directing:
There were some overly long delays in reaction, but the rest of the directing was okay.

OVERALL:
I understand why others are rating this BL story so high, but there just wasn’t enough depth to the plot and writing in general. Pacing really was noticeable too, which brought the score down for me. I would recommend it to people just starting in the BL genre and anyone wanting something cute and gentle compared to what is usually shown to us. I won’t watch it again and feel like it could’ve been a lot shorter too.

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Too Same-old-thing for 2020

The drama is fine up to Episode 29 and part of 30, after that it gets stupid.

LIKES:
Decent production, okay music and good cinematography.
The fashion department wins an award for best dressed actors/actresses. Seriously I loved that all the female workers were in real business wear. [Unlike other dramas where all the females walk around in skirts that barely cover their butts or make it past thigh high.]. The men were all sharply dressed, even in their casual clothes.
Makeup was tasteful, even with the "cutesy" girls.
Building the romance/connection between Main Female lead and Main Male lead (Jiang Jun and Yuan Shuai) was well done, almost realistic.
I liked that mostly the FL and ML were actually working during business hours and not just constantly looking at their phone/social media or each other. The females of the drama weren't made to look like a total idiots at work, like in other dramas.
I mostly watched to see if anything would develop between Du Lei and Jiang Jun, when he wasn't being a jerk. I liked their chemistry, but there wasn't enough romantic moments to build anything, even their friendship.
The scenes in the aquarium were beautiful.

DISLIKES:
Some over acting. Typical cliches and tropes. A lot of obvious product placement shots.
No chemistry between 2nd FL and 2nd ML (the love technology couple) and their whole storyline was a bit boring. Also I don't support relationships that began due to one party stalking the other, claiming it's due to love.
Really bad writing after episode 29 and part of episode 30.
Bad writing prior to that: Du Lei suddenly falling in love, without much interaction with his love interest. Jiang Jun's attitude towards Yuan Shuai changed too suddenly, especially since he was bullying and belittling her. Jiang Jun has degrees in economics and psychology but she is completely oblivious in the first half of the drama.
I liked the VP of MH; Qiao Na (powerful and smart business woman) but was disappointed and disgusted with the character they paired up with her at the end. Instead of creating this new character, they could have had Xiang Ding (Jiang Jun's co-worker and MH employee) be the one, for a real office romance.
More bad writing with the tear allergy concept, which was consistent throughout the drama until after episode 28, then the writers forgot about it, especially at two key times that anyone would cry. Also the build up about what really happened to Jiang Jun's father fell really flat, like the writers gave up on making it dramatic and impactful.
Finally the writers totally trashed Du Lei, Tao Han Yu's character after episode 29 and it wasn't necessary. It felt like an add on, to make more episodes.
Directing not the greatest either, because some scenes were too long or drawn out, that they became dull and boring. I used the fast forward button a few times in some episodes.

OVERALL:
I feel like this drama was over-rated. There were a few honest reviews among all the 9s and 10/10s. I expected better considering this was a drama made in 2020. I wont re-watch it. I'm neutral in whether or not to recommend it to someone else.

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Bitter Sweet Journey

Production , cinematography, world/year events and scenery were all excellent. The music/OST also was very well done.

LIKES:
The acting of both ML and FL was very good. All the actresses and actors did phenomenal jobs in their roles; the supporting cast, the cast for sporting and news events, all the extras too. The Director did an amazing job for this drama. I felt that the ML and FL had amazing chemistry, but so did all the younger couples. The friendship, love and rivalry flowed nicely throughout the storyline and plot. All the sports competitions and training about Fencing, was the best from all similar dramas. It was as if you were at the competitions yourself as the viewer. The theme of growing up to handle hardship and happiness, while never giving up on hopes and dreams was mostly well delivered. I liked how most of the relationships were concluded. They showed plenty of growth for all the main leads. I enjoyed that the story was based on the diary being read by Na Hee Do's daughter. I didn't notice if there were any "FX". I liked how they concluded or tied in the book store from beginning to end.

DISLIKES:
Baek Yi-jin's mother was very annoying and I wanted her to just shut up. Maybe it was how the writers wanted that character.
Throughout the drama there were some moments that made me say WTF [See spoilers at the end of this review]. The ending felt a little rushed and should've been changed to 2 or 3 more episodes. I think time management became an issue in some of the episodes, especially noticeable in the last 2 episodes. The ending was a little too open, based on what the viewers were fed about the ML Yi Jin and FL Hee Do.

OVERALL: Everything up until the last two episodes was great, interesting and had me enraptured. I would recommend this drama and might re-watch it in the future.

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[SPOILER ALERT ]
I liked that Baek Yi-jin's brother and Seung Wan reunited at the end, to give more depth to their characters.
I disliked that Hee Do didn't show as much growth as Yu Rim. Same with Baek Yi-jin, as a reporter he grew, but as an adult there wasn't much character growth. I was thoroughly annoyed that we don't find out who Hee Do married and had a daughter with. Having focused in the beginning on the fencing and going to the olympics for Hee Do, then at the end nothing of the stress and excitement of going to the olympics and winning gold was shown. In the end I hated that they didn't show Baek Yi-jin and Na Hee Do reuniting (even as friends) at the end and final episode. It made the adult Hee Do seem pointless. Also some of the flashbacks in the final episode, ran too long and they could've used the time better.

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Tragically Beautiful

I loved the photos and moments of the cherry blossoms. The story isn't really original, but it was well done, and although it was a 2 hr movie, you don't notice it. At times it even felt like it was too fast. The aging FXs were well done. They were even able to show how seniors can feel disgraced with how their body doesn't function like they wish it would. I liked the love story potion and the pain they both felt.

What I disliked was at times the shaking camera, photographers all know how to use a film stabilizer, so that just took away from the show. It was super annoying and not needed as the actors/actresses all did well to show their heightened emotions. Whether that's a production issue or the director's fault I don't know. Pacing of the movie seemed a bit off in some sections too.

Overall it was a good watch, I would rewatch it and recommend it. Some viewers might need a box of tissues, even though we know the ending ahead of time. It was a nice story about love and not giving up, even if the odds are against you.

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Bad Writing Failed The Actors

LIKE:
Boun & Prem’s chemistry
Waan & Tul story
Manow & Phruek
Location shots (the resorts)
Boun riding motorcycle
FX: blood injury looked real

DISLIKE:
WRITING:
Making Team so childish and whinny, got annoying fast.
Flashbacks used too often and the same ones over and over.
No in-depth back story to explain Win’s fear of commitment. He’s a peace keeper in his family, he’s rich…. AND?
Too many side stories & characters, when focus should’ve been on Team & Win, Manow and Phruek.
No character development for anyone.
Pacing issues caused by repetition and dragged out moments, making it boring without the intimate scenes.
Badly handled mental health issues; once again writer/production team carelessly approached the mental health problems of the characters.

PRODUCTION: Shaking camera moments, please don’t get the k-drama syndrome and use your film stabilizer. Sound editing was not good (either a mic issue or something else).

MUSIC: over powered actors voices too often and certain songs overplayed.

OVERALL:
The actors did well with what they were given. No excuse for bad or lazy writing with characters and zero plot dimension. They had 2 years during the pandemic to focus on what the fans wanted story wise, but failed in so many ways [see all the negative reviews for in-depth analysis of plot/story/writing issues]. (I like Boun and Prem, I want to see them working with other writers and production companies. If Boun won’t do BL without Prem, how about give him a female love interest?)
I will watch certain moments again, or just wait for someone to do a scene compilation on Youtube. I would recommend it to someone who is just starting to watch the BL (Boy Love) genre.

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Too Long, Good Ending

Unlike most sports dramas, there wasn’t much focus on the actual competition, more on the training and team dynamics. It also focused on the social media aspect and the story of the ML and FL too. Although ML & FL had chemistry, it was not utilized enough. There were too many episodes, it could’ve been condensed and I think that’s why a lot of viewers rated it lower, due to getting bored [they waited until Episode 32 to tell us about ML & FL incident in the past]. That’s the fault of the writers though, not the actors/actresses or production team. The theme and episode music was often played so loud that it was hard to focus on what the actors/actresses were saying.

The production was good and scenery well shot to show location changes. I watched this because of Hu Yi Tian and Xing Fei. I’ve been waiting a long time for Hello, the Sharpshooter! I did like how they concluded the drama, especially how the pocket/locket watched tied into everything and why it was shown frequently throughout the show. I also liked the character growth of the ML and FL the most, although some of the other supporting characters romances also had growth. But again even that was dragged out too long. Basically the last five episodes of the show, were the best. The ending was predictable, as most of the drama/tension moments of the show were.

Overall it was okay, but not as good as some of the other dramas the ML and FL have stared in or even other dramas that are sports/competition related. 5.5/10.

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Had Potential, Bad Writing Wrecked It

LIKES:

Location shots, sets and cinematography were all good. Colour pallet was well chosen for the most part. [Wardrobe sometimes over the top in colour, but for the most part well chosen.]
Decent acting for first timers and the actors were well selected for their rolls.
A story where the leads know how to ride motorcycles. [I’m biased on this, because I ride a motorcycle too and find guys who do so, simply hot! LOL].
The actors actually open mouth kissed and not just did pecks, like in some BL shows.
I liked the chemistry of the couples, even though Rain was a little annoying.
FX: all makeup was well done (bruised knuckles, pale sickness look, etc.). Even the makeup to accentuate the mouth or eyes, was tasteful.

DISLIKES:
Production:
Background noise (rain, vehicles, etc.) was often way too loud and it was hard to hear the actors. Thankfully I read subtitles too. Pacing issues all over the place; too many moments where the actors are standing around and staring out into space, when it could’ve been used to give more depth to the story.

Writing:
Terrible writing/script. Barely any plot, stretching along a theme and then not concluding it [Payu supposed to be a badass, even says he has a devilish side, and it never appeared. Sky having trauma and it never being addressed, just glorified.] We the viewer, barely get any character (or their backstory) development and there was hardly any growth either. Also the gossiping landlady didn’t add anything to the story and was just annoying. Another thing was that Payu was supposed to be bisexual, he even says it, but this was never shown, not even as a flash back memory, so why even say it, that was plain dumb.

Directing:
Why spend so much time watching the guys stand around and stare into space, especially in the final episode! Super delayed reactions and where there should be more action, they cut it out. Is that bad editing, writing or directing or all of it? Now one seriously bad part in the directing is that both Payu and Prapai were supposed to be these awesome motorcycle riders. But neither of them would lean the motorcycle over when going into the curves, not even slightly. They shouldn’t draw attention to the riding, with zoomed out shots, if they aren’t going to show the riding properly. It made those guys look like beginners (and they probably got a ten minute tutorial on how to ride). If they wanted to make it seem like they were going fast and dipping low into the corners, without the riders doing so (or paying for stunt doubles), then zoom in at an angle so it looks as if they are leaning the bike way over.

Music:
It was okay, but often ran too long in some scenes and then you couldn’t really hear what the actors were saying.

OVERALL:
Some didn’t like the acting, but I think they did the best they could with such an under developed story and script. Also for beginner actors, the intimacy/chemistry parts were well done. I would recommend it as a good introduction to BL genre. Might just watch the kissing scenes or bits where I liked the chemistry, but wouldn’t watch the whole thing again. I hope Boss and Fort star in more romances, especially BL, but even if it’s with a girl, I’d watch them again. I also hope that in the future serious topics at least have an after message about where to get help, if something similar has happened to you. They need to be more responsible with this type of content.

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Disappointing But Eye Candy

LIKES:
Beautiful ocations, especially island moments.
Cinematography and sets were good.
Lighting was okay for the most part.
Wardrobe was modern and tasteful. The male leads were handsome in suits. Tasteful jewelry.
FX were okay; gun shot wounds looked somewhat realistic.
Ost was okay.
Good eye candy (beach scenes).
Chopper and Ben were cute.
Acting for Phuwin as Nuengdiao was okay and same with Perth as Chopper.

DISLIKES:
Production:
Shaky camera syndrome due to not using film stabilizer.
Zooming in way too close; no one wants to see the caked makeup or their pores or nose hairs.
Pacing issues, especially with rushed ending.
Music sometimes overpowered what was being said.
Background noises were overly loud too.
Editing:
Flashbacks in episode 11 were over done and too long.
Acting:
The adult acting was over the top for all of them, but especially for Palm's father and Nueng's uncle Kit.
Pond as Palm had friend chemistry but never as a lover. He was not good at showing emotion and felt very stiff. He needs more acting lessons or to be placed in a different role.
Directing:
Little to no emotion or time given for the actors to react to some of the climatic moments.
Pond 's kisses; he looks like he's eating Phuwin's face, which is not sexy.
Delayed reactions that were almost ridiculous.
FX:
Bruising from fighting looked very amateurish and disappeared too quickly.
Writing (see under overall, as it has spoilers).

OVERALL:
Some parts were boring and just the usual trope. Important moments for the MLs to show their emotions were rushed or non-existant. Conclusion was very rushed in all aspects. This started with potential and went down hill. Watch for the eye candy, don't use your brain and have no expectations, then it's good. I won't rewatch any of this, not even some parts. I recommend it for anyone just starting out in BL genre, but barely.




******[SPOILER ALERT]******
DISLIKE:
Writing:
Like everyone else's reviews I agree way too many plot holes.
Lots of stupid moments: Nueng's father is killed and the mother doesn't get better security?
With all the shooting going on and how wealthy Nueng's family is, why don't the bodyguards have bulletproof vests?
After Palm and Nueng make out, why when they are alone is Palm calling Nueng Mister? It makes their relationship cringy.
Palm and Nueng share a bath, but Neung is very noticabley in his underwear?
Chopper and Ben needed more time for their relationship, even their conclusion was very lack luster.
The way Palm and Nueng's relationship develops it seems more one sided with Nueng being more invested in their love.

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The Shadow made the Light disappear

LIKED:

The Naksu who fought Park Jin as the original Mage leader S1, in very beginning who we saw soul shift into Mu-deok, is same face as FL in S2.
The animal trainers did well: Loved the turtle moments, especially with Prince Go Won and the dog that could see soul shifters also was perfect.
FX good but not as awesome as in S1.
Costumes for the most part were good.
Acting by actors and actresses well done for most of them. Lee Jae Wook was great in both S1 & 2. Season 2 Jin mu mage (Jo Jae Yoon) wasn’t as compelling, but he always gives a good performance, especially when playing the bad/evil guy.
Music was for the most part appropriate, scene building and well executed.


DISLIKED:
A lot of the issues/dislikes from S1 were continued in S2, for example: Shaking camera moments and Fx green screen noticeable.
Using same actor (Im Chul Soo) to play different, non related characters; Mage Master Lee and one of the guys delivering alcohol, that Jang Uk saves by killing soul shifter [that went into son’s body].
Pacing issues, a lot of boring parts due to bogged down by too much politics and showcasing human greed

Directing: too much staring and inactive moments, extended scenes that didn't help in any way.

Writing:
Plot issues throughout, dragging on moments that were unnecessary, forcing chemistry that had nothing solid to back up the instant connection. Confusing choices for changing the character of FL that was so well developed in first season, to a character that was lacking in all aspects and then claiming she was this all along. The mess they created for the main storyline for the supporting characters of the Royalty, Unanimous Assembly and Jin mu w/ his mages, was very lame. The body swap and soul change explanation for Naksu/Bu-yeon was badly executed. Yes they used the same body for FL S2, as the opening scenes of Naksu in S1, but that didn’t help. Too many anti-climatic or low impact moments of important characters in S2, that were so evolved and developed in season 1. The character development and especially growth even for the FL, ML and other dominant characters was non-existent.

Wardrobe: the crowns of the King & Queen, all looked like those paper things you get from a fast food burger place. Also the jewelry mostly became heavy and clunky looking (like the hair pins). I understood why the colour palette changed to be more somber for literal execution of the SHADOW concept of S2, but the effort seemed lacking.


OVERALL: Most of the reviews cover all the crappy parts of the plot and their actor/actress character preferences. With a decent budget and good FX and getting a S2 to explain the concept of the plot, why did the Hong sisters give up on their plot and create a cliche and trope driven mass of garbage? Also I am sure they could’ve afforded the best camera production crew, so no excuse for zooming in way too close (I hate seeing up actor noses, cut off faces) and no film stabilizer! To give a proper review I did watch everything again, after watching it the first time. But I did use fast forward often in S2. As seems to be the trend lately with Korean Dramas, S1 is exceptional and S2 disappoints. I hope in 2023 that changes and we get consistency. I would recommend this show overall, and I will rewatch certain moments, but not the whole thing.

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Great Start, lagging middle, lame finish

LIKES:
Great costumes for the most part.
Strong female lead for the first part of the drama; beautiful, smart, skilled in martial arts and sword fighting, kind.
Scenery was fitting and beautiful. Cinematography was well done, including colour pallet.
FX: the flying scenes and some of the graphics were really good, see dislikes for parts that weren't.
ML chasing after FL for once.
Potential for ML & FL romance.
Step-mother as a villain, although cliche, she was hateable.

DISLIKES:
No solid foundation for the ML & FL to show their chemistry for romance.
Issues with PACING; too much plot twisting that didn't help the end. The political stuff started to get boring, especially the step-mother's schemes. When over done looses it's impact.
WRITING: got lost with it's concepts. First part FL is strong, independent and smart, second part she is just about the ML and constantly needs rescuing. Also in the later parts FL is often deferring her ideas to the ML's ideas. They lost what little chemistry they had in the second half of the show.
The male villain was lame and way too obvious.
Another bad writing section is the step-mother scheming was too much and got boring. Then we have the male villain who's hate for ML & FL is ridiculous and groundless.
The ENDING was very rushed and made no sense, but it was probably due to pacing issues.
Bad EDITING. Choppy PRODUCTION & terrible FX for the waring states (really bad graphics to the point of very smelly cheese, when the two sides clashed. The areal view was so lame, or the running horses were as good as a super old school video game).

OVERALL:
I would rewatch the first half of the drama and even recommend that part. Some would like the ending too. I don't understand why Netflix keeps screwing up/rushing the endings of their dramas. Is it their fault or the writers or both?





SPOILER ALERT DISLIKES:
The costumes for the wedding of ML & FL were so UGLY! And their kissing was not convincing as lovers.
Also the eldest brother should've been made the King at the end, because making ML the king and then he throws it away is just dumb. IF eldest brother was King, then the two main leads could have their alone time together, maybe even showing FL with a son. Or even kill off the ML completely, would have had more impact.

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Puppy Love & Friendship

LIKES:
Cinematography and Production were both good.
The colour palette was rich even during the winter scenes.
Music was okay and there wasn't really any FX to speak of.
The message of taking your time to fall in love with the right person and to cherish your friends, was well delivered.
The parents of FL & ML were fine, except how the writers wrote them in the last episode.
Puppy Love for everyone, almost to the point of being way too sweet.
The acting was decent for the most part.

DISLIKES:
The last episode's writing involving the parents. (Tantrums of people old enough to know better, were ridiculous.)
Not even one kiss between FL & ML, their love felt like something from a middle school child and not college/university aged people. Same with the adults, it was very childish.
Some parts got a bit boring, the director must have been on a coffee break when it was filmed.
Not much character development for FL & ML or any of the supporting frequently seen characters.

OVERALL:
I watched all the episodes, without skipping any. It's extra PG in terms of love content. For someone 10 yrs old and up to 16 yrs old, this drama would be well received. I wont watch it again.

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