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Completed
I Feel You Linger in the Air
2 people found this review helpful
Nov 14, 2023
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

A love transcending time

There's truly nothing I can say in my review that will do this series justice, but I will try to relay my feelings.

We don't often get BL that's a complete package. Either the plot is lacking or the chemistry is lacking or the actors aren't great or there's too many clichés and loopholes in the story that don't make sense and other factors. However, with I Feel You Linger In the Air, we got a complete package and I couldn't be more satisfied.

The love story between Jom and Yai is one that transcends time. You can tell it is one of those epic romance stories. Like true ROMANCE. BL sometimes can come across as this light and cutesy fluffy thing we watch; it can come across as being unserious sometimes. I Feel You Linger in the Air was a true romance story. Something for us to actually watch with focused intent and take seriously and I so much appreciated what a fresh breath of air this series was. Not trying at all to discount other BLs out there because I enjoy them all regardless, but IFYLITA 100% stands out in the top 1%.

We get a beautiful love story full of sincerity, devotion, passion, desire, patience and a lot more between our main leads. I love the set up of Jom and Yai's story because it is one that can be told in so many different ways and I truly hope we can get more sequels or prequels showing their love story in various timelines.

I highly highly recommend you watch this.

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Completed
Blossoms in Adversity
2 people found this review helpful
May 5, 2024
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

Family is the essence.

Blossoms in adversity, this drama was aptly named.

The main theme and plot line that carried us through all 40 episodes of this drama was well done. Watching the Hua family's fall from grace and their eventual comeback through hardwork, preseverance, trust was so uplifting. The relationships between the women of the Hua household and how they worked together was the best part of the series and that is truly the main essence of the drama. This whole aspect was well done, so I rate the drama highly for that mainly.

In terms of the romance, the love between Hua Zhi and YanXi was the healthy and romantic type. Although I didn’t really feel amazing chemistry between the actors, the romance between the characters was great to witness. I loved how they both started out as friends and their relationship grew deeper. It was beautiful to see them be each other's confidants, with HZ feeling safest talking with YX and seeking his opinions on things she wanted to do, especially early on in their relationship.

My main disappointment with the drama is specifically the main lead, Yanxi's, attitude(?). To put it short, he did not stand on business. Despite how physically strong he was and how many times he protected HZ and her family, his character/state of mind/personality as his own person just fell so flat. In terms of personality, I even preferred the Second Male Lead's attitude and how he carried himself. YX acted in ways that went against his own beliefs/desires/morals all because the Emperor ordered it and that was dissapointing. He came across as a weak willed man and that is definitely not a trait I'd like to see from a ML, especially when you compare with the FL who is courageous enough to speak out when she sees something wrong and SML who spoke out honestly without fear for the consequences. This also feeds into why I felt a bit dissatisfied with how the end to all the adversity played out, I wish it was more directly through the hands of the main leads' actions than that of third parties. The fact that at the end of the drama I was rooting for one of the villains to accomplish their revenge plot and was pissed at our main leads for trying to stop them was a new feeling I experienced watching a drama, lmao.

Overall, the main story line being the rise of Hua family was enjoyable and very well done, there are also so many lovable side characters and romantic story lines (ShaoYao x Shen Huan, Uncle Pingyang x Aunt Yu Niang, Empress Dowager x Grandma iykyk lol, etc) that made this very enjoyable, so I still had a good time watching this drama.

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Completed
Story of Kunning Palace
2 people found this review helpful
Nov 29, 2023
38 of 38 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 5.5

Very enjoyable revenge palace drama.

The revenge plot was really well done and overall pacing of the story was great. Watching all the machinations in the imperial palace/harem, secrets slowly coming to light, and plotting of our cunning Male Lead really made this an enjoyable series. We also had a very smart Female Lead who was able to take care of herself no matter where she ended up. She was never a damsel in distress and despite not being physically powerful, she used her smarts, wits, confidence and strong personality to get herelf out of sticky situations. Also, this is one of the few cdramas where the Emperor actually has common sense and isn't immediately influenced by rumors or accusations. Honestly you probably wouldn't think this should matter since the Emperor is not a character we would care about unless they are the main lead, but it does matter when the story revolves around the palace. So I had much less frustrations watching this drama because everybody that mattered in the plot line was actually smart and did their jobs as you would expect them to. This overall made the drama more enjoyable compared to other palace themed dramas. There was just one character death I didn't like, it was so unecessary to the story aside from wanting to make viewers sad, so I didn't appreciate that at all.

In terms of romance, even though they I liked the pairing, I found the romance lacking a bit from the main couple imo. I personally felt more romance between the FL, Second Male Lead and even Third Male Lead because we got more healthy moments of affection/love shown between them. We only got to see more romance with the main leads towards the end, but even then it was more of a domineering type of love that could make you feel uncomfortable to watch. So I wish we also got to see more sweet moments between the main couple; or at the very least I would have liked to see FL be more expressive of her love with the ML like she was with TML. Granted the FL and ML's personalities and story lines don't really give off sweet vibes so it also makes sense that their love was more on the intense/obssessive/toxic side.

In addition to having a smart Emperor, other unique things I liked that weren't necessarily present 100% of the time but we did get to see were:
1) Bestest boy ever Second Male Lead who only wants the best for his crush and isn't possessive of her; 2) Non-competitive sibling relationship between the FL and her sister; 3) Healthy friendships between FL and other women; and 4) Parents apologizing to children.

Overall very satisfied with the revenge plot but would have liked to have more romance from the main couple. Bailu acted really well, crying scenes were so emotional. ML needs to work on his expressions but overall great job from him too and the rest of the cast.

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Completed
Mood Indigo
2 people found this review helpful
Oct 7, 2023
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
This review may contain spoilers

Devastatingly realistic.

This is such a devastating drama, which is sadly so representative of many a people's life experience. It's all about timing.

Seeing Kijima and Kido's backstory was very enlightening. The development of their relationship from being old university classmates to friends to sort of lovers and back to acquaintances was interesting to watch. I found it interesting that each initial development in their relationship was never intentional, but as a result of the circumstances around them. They had undeniable chemistry and were so passionate as lovers, but the somber ost, depressing tone/theme and dimmed lighting would make you feel dissatisfied about their relationship because you could just feel like it wasn't going to end on a positive note, regardless of whether you'd previously watched the Novelist or not.

Overall, I wouldn't necessarily categorize this as a romance. It's more about showing the relationship between two people who all of a sudden developed a relationship as lovers but due to poor timing, fear of society, and lack of courage, ultimately weren't able to realize the full potential of their relationship. What it lacked in romance it had in passion and lust. You could probably watch the drama and blame Kido for things ending the way they did, but my personal takeaway was that there really wasn't one person to blame as I understood Kido's actions as well. Some relationships are just not meant to be, and this way Kijima has the opportunity to find someone else that will choose him and love him.

Big kudos to the actors. They were so committed to their roles and expressed themselves wonderfully and had amazing chemistry. Kijima had such a sensuality to him that kept pulling me to him and Idk how the actor was able to create that kind of atmosphere around his character, but he did and it was amazing to watch.

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Completed
Destined
2 people found this review helpful
Jul 16, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 6.0

Exciting plot, sweet romance, but wasn't enough

Quick thoughts:

This drama was full of lots of political scheming and fighting, it was very exciting to watch all the powers at play; The romance aspect was a bit lacking. Although the couple were so devoted to eo and sweet, they weren't very intimate so it was a bit of a waste/let down. However, I really appreciated how understanding and respectful the main couple was. They were such a healthy couple to watch, similar to the main couple in Sweet Life Begins; Lastly, the bad guys' ending wasn't satisfying enough.

Overall, it was an okay drama with common faults.

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Completed
You Are My Glory
2 people found this review helpful
Feb 12, 2023
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 10

Realistic and mature

Loved Yu Tu, our High IQ King, and Jingjing, our High EQ Queen, together. They had such a beautiful, respectful and mature relationship full with mutual understanding for each other. The couple was so domestic and intimate, it was so fun watching them together.

I wish we got more scenes of them at the end such as starting a family and taking care of their kids etc.

Overall, I really loved the pacing of the drama and how we got to see adult characters behave their age and communicate with one another. Their relationship was so healthy and I hope we get to see more of these types of characters in other dramas.

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Completed
King the Land
3 people found this review helpful
Aug 14, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

Cliche, but romantic

This drama was a great rom-com to pass time and give you a little bit of happiness and fun while escaping from your daily lives. There were cliches and cheesy moments sprinkled throughout the drama, but at its core I believe this drama is meant to be light-hearted so you can easily disregard all those cliches and just enjoy the beautiful couple GuWon and Sarang and their romantic love.

If you're here for romance, you'll 100% have a great time. Although I say the drama is cliché, this is more about the main character's roles (chaebol ML and kind "lower class" FL), side characters and their story lines, and to an extent, the overarching plot line of this drama - chaebol family dynamic (within a hotel management setting). For the romance enthusiasts out there, GW and SR's love story was cheesy but quite refreshing, despite the overused chaebol-regular kind girl dynamic we've seen MULTIPLE times before. What was refreshing to me was the fact that the couple actually stood by each other despite their "class difference" (as their society would put it); and even more importantly, I loved that SR had a lot of self-respect for not just her position in her relationship with GW, but also in her life in general. However, I did feel like JunHo and YoonA were acting like they were in love a lot of times, so the chemistry didn't 100% click for me, but you'll get lost in their visuals and JH's intense gazes so most people will probably not notice the unnatural acting.

So, for people looking for romance specifically, you will have a great time (9-10 stars). I care a little bit more about the plot line so some aspects of this drama - mainly the unreasonable obsession GW's sister had against him, the unprofessional nature in which coworkers treated each other, and GW's questionable management style made this drama difficult to watch. Latter one is not as serious, I just didn't necessarily believe GW to be a really competent hotel manager. His whole methods to managing the hotel were nice to see but really only seemed feasible in an "in-a-perfect-world" situation, and it felt more like he was just solving whatever issues his girlfriend had mentioned about the hotel rather than actually working on his own to look into the hotel and finding what needs to be improved. Anyway this was more of a nit-picky observation.

Overall, I don't think this drama is meant to be deep or realistic, so as long as you can watch it light-heartedly and want to be swept into the world of a visually appealing couple being sweet and in-love together, then you'll have a good time.

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Completed
Joy of Life Season 2
2 people found this review helpful
Jun 3, 2024
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

S3, please come quick!

Mainly writing this review to express my love for the OST. The intro and outro were both so good but I loved the outro from the first episode and never skipped it everytime the episode ended. Apologies to my neighbours for the weeks of me screaming “话谢过,路借过,你是你,我是我”, but this outro put me on to Zhou Shen and I'm obsessed!

Aside from this, JoL S2 delivered the same amount of enjoyment I had watching S1. This show is just top quality. What I love about the series is how much it makes me immersed in the story with the acting and plot. All the plotting, politics and dialogue pull you in and I was able to enjoy it more because, as a viewer, I felt I also had to deduce what was going on and what was not being said. All the plot lines and dialogues are not laid out so directly and obviously, so it makes you feel engaged with Fan Xian and the gang in trying to uncover the mysteries around them and connecting the dots with clues we get throughout the series. I appreciate that the writers do not undermine the strengths of all the characters, like everyone is so smart and cunning so it becomes a battle of wits watching Fan Xian go up against various characters.

Another thing that made me immersed in the story was the acting. Everyone is on top of their freaking game. Cheng Ping Ping, the Emperor, Wang Qi Nian, Fan Xian - the actors for these characters were probably my standouts because of how often we see them, but every actor did a fantastic job.

Also, this is one of the few series I can watch and enjoy without caring much about the romantic story lines. Wan Er and Fan Xian were good together but I didnt really care much for their romance. It was great having a couple moments of them together here and there but my main attention was attached to the political aspects, so it was a great balance.

Overall, great series that I already know I'll rewatch again in the future, before and after S3 finally comes out.

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Completed
The Starry Love
2 people found this review helpful
Mar 12, 2023
40 of 40 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

Fun drama, but why does my heart feel uncomfortable?

This was a really good drama. Our main squad of characters were a great bunch to watch. Loved all their antics and how relatable they were.

Things I liked:
1. Amazing sibling bonds - loved the beautiful bond between our two sisters who, despite living completely different lives, were so loyal to eachother and protective of one another. Also loved the bond between the Heavenly Realm Siblings. They were so responsible, respectful and caring about eo.

2. Relatable characters - I loved how real the characters felt. They would make comments that I would make and speak their mind which really made me feel refreshed when I was watching some scenes that was getting my blood boiling.

3. Humor - The humor is on point. The whole squad had amazing chemistry. Everyone bounced off of eo so well and I had a TON of laugh out loud moments throughout the drama.

4. Romance - The romance between our main leads was soo sweet to watch. Although I didn't like how QK and CF's relationship was built on manipulation I eventually really grew to like them together. YT and SH were so good together. I liked how forward YT was in the beginning, they were such a funny pair to watch. The whole human realm bit was really nice too as we got to see their dynamics play out in different ways. Huge shoutout to my adorable boy LaMu, bestest boy ever. Speaking of good boys, Di Lan Jue was adorable too - I wish we got to see more of him in his cute puppy form. His budding romance with Zi Wu was very cute.

5. Badass female character - I loved how badass our girl YT was. Loved seeing her exact her revenge by the end of the drama, I wish we got to see more of her that way early on kicking some ass. But even without the amazing powers that she had towards the end of the drama, she was still so confident, independent and cool from the get-go and I loved how she could always take care of herself or at least hold out long enough before someone else came to save her/her people.

Things I didn’t like:
1. Acting - The acting was a bit awkward at times, I felt this especially in the beginning. Once I got used to the characters and plot lines, I didn’t really care about it anymore but it was definitely something I noticed at the beginning and took me out of being immersed in the story initially.

2. Clichés - Sigh, I mean...this is always a given so not going to expand too much as the Clichés are always just recycled in cdramas. Just to highlight them - stupid misunderstandings by ancient lords that result in unecessary feuds (but we have to have a drama, amiright?), 'Heavenly' Realm actually being more devilish than the 'bad' guys in the Void Realm, bad guys getting forgiven/let go in the end, dumbest leaders of all holding high positions in each Realm making you wonder just how they could have gotten such power etc.

3. Loser Emperor - I don't even have enough words to write about my absolute HATE for the Heavenly Emperor. Garghhh! His treatment of XS, his cowardice, his lack of one single brain cell. What a complete loserrrr. 90% of the reason I didn't like this drama is prolly tied to this man.

I really enjoyed the drama and had so much fun watching it but ultimately gave a lower rating due to my personal frustrations. Also I reallyy skipped a lotttt of scenes. I normally do this, I'm just too impatient even when I like a drama, but my skipping was just too much this time around as I couldn't be bothered to watch some of the scenes (mainly due to clichés) and could surmise the gist of what went on without watching it in-depth.

Overall, it's a really fun drama. The humour keeps you locked in in the beginning then you stay because of the amazing sibling chemistry, awesome squad chemistry, cute romances, and funny and relatable side characters. Definitely a good time, I just don't completely feel satisfied.

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Completed
The Forbidden Flower
2 people found this review helpful
Mar 5, 2023
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 5.0

Passionate Romance

Gosh, this was such a beautiful love story. So much passion between He Ran and Xiao Han. Their chemistry was so natural and they always looked so intimate, I felt I shouldn't be watching them.

Stuff I liked:

1. Chemistry between the leads - HR was an innocent/cute looking seductress. I loved how she broke down XH's walls. Speaking of XH, watching that man try to hold back from going after HR in the 'courting' period of their relationship was getting me so hot and bothered. It was so intense. You could just feel the lust lingering in the air between the two. I'm off to scour the internet for the deleted scenes right after this review.

2. Locations - Loved the location where this was filmed. Specifically XH's salon residence and his hometown. Getting a small glimpse of the Qiang people and their customs was a huge delight! The salon residence too was such a pretty spot, it all looked so homey and cozy and relaxing. I got lots of healing watching the beautiful scenery.

3. OST - The music was superb. That is all.

Few things i didn't like about this were:

1. HR breaking up/ghosting XH and then getting back with him again only to then do it all over again. Like girl, be consistent with your decision.

2. HR undermining Hu Yun's feelings for her to try to play them down as nothing. I dont like when people do this. Just tell the guy you don't love him in the same way, don't say what he feels for you isn't love... you don't know his heart.

3. Even I want to crucify myself for saying this, but there were just so many slow motion shots of Jerry Yan. Honest to Christ, the man is a work of art to be admired endlessly but i just kept laughing everytime the OST would all of a sudden pick up and we see Jerry Yan in various lighting and angles all in one scene.

Overall, really good show with sad ending, imo. People say the ending credits are canon but I don't think so. I'm not one for sad endings but really, it's the journey that matters not the goal and that's definitely my takeaway from this drama. The love journey between HR and XH matters more than how it ended.

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Completed
Jack o' Frost
1 people found this review helpful
Dec 29, 2023
6 of 6 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

A Simple Second Chance Love Story

Jack O'Frost is yet another Japanese series that shows you can deliver an in-depth, engaging, well written, concise story without having the largest budget or a complex plot line.

Honestly, there is really not much to the story. The drama synopsis literally tells you everything you need to know. It's a simple second chance love story between a couple that obviously still love each other and just need to learn to communicate their feelings in order to keep their relationship going strong.

We are introduced to Ritsu and Fumiya, an established couple, who appear to be in the middle of a breakup when a sudden accident happens. The way the drama starts up, it feels like we are brought in to play detective to figure out what happened that led up to the current state of their relationship, judge who was at fault for the breakup and accident, and cast our votes on whether or not we agree with how things eventually unfold. However, by the end of this I left the series understanding that both Ritsu and Fumiya are just regular flawed human beings like the rest of us. Even if you might not agree with the character decisions, you see their perpectives and understand why they make those decisions and you just root for them to work things out.

It's a simple story that is told very well. The pacing was great and chemistry between the leads was good as well. I had one small nitpick that I thought was a plothole - I find it hard to believe that Ritsu wouldn't have found out much earlier about him and Fumiya given he must have had pictures of them on his phone or idk have electronic drawings of Fumiya on his personal drawing tablet and other devices? Anyway, just a small plothole I noted. The rest of the story, dialogue and acting was really well done. I think because of how simple the story is, you get to really focus on and pay notice to the acting, line delivery and expressions from the characters. They did a terrific job which made it easier to really sink into the story.

Overall, it's a short, well written, very low-steam second chance love story that I enjoyed.

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Completed
Love Tractor
1 people found this review helpful
Dec 20, 2023
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 5.0

Refreshing, and really adorable

Yul was a bit of a hard character to like, but he has good character development by the end. Yechan is the cutest golden retriever fluffball I've ever seen; not that Yul is terrible for Yechan, but I just sorta think Yechan deserves someone that's utterly in love with him as he is with Yul. Or at least more expressive? Idk, the chemistry (both acting wise and character wise) was there and okay, but it also felt awkward a bit and the dynamic was a bit off for me. Yul and Yechan were cute but I just loved Yechan's character more so I can't help but want more than the best for him. Honestly, I've been laying here trying to think of another BL character that I'd prefer to match up with Yechan, but I can't decide — so maybe I'm just a selfish bish that wants to pocket Yechan for myself xD.

I really liked the setting of this drama with all the calm and healing aesthetics that come with country side living, so that was refreshing to watch. The main plot is really light hearted (country boy falling in love with a city boy) so there isn't a lot going on with the plot. Most of the drama comes from side characters having to do with Yul's life back in the city.

Some specific things I really liked:
1) HIGHLY appreciated how little of an "issue" was made about two guys being in love. I noted that not once did anyone have to explain that they were gay. There was no conversation like "oh you're into guys?" Neither was there any denial of feelings like, "oh you like men? Well I'm 'normal'" You know what I mean? There are these small remarks/comments that people make in shows whether its the characters themselves or the side characters around them that highlight the fact that being gay is "different". So it was truly refreshing how normal it was for Yul and Yechan to like each other. No hesitations and no explanations necessary, loved that.

2) Small point, but I love how Yul stood up for himself to his dad. Instead of continuing to go with what his dad wanted or hide away from him forever without expressing himself, I love that Yul took the reigns on his own life.

Overall, it's a good drama if you're looking for something uber light but filled with a ton of sweetness. It's not making my list of greatest BL of the year, but the story and execution was satisfactory and there are unique tidbits in this drama that differentiate it from other BL. Also, at the very least, I promise Yechan will have you smiling like an idiot whenever he is on screen and that in itself was good enough for me lol.

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Completed
My Journey to You
1 people found this review helpful
Nov 14, 2023
24 of 24 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.0

Dark and gritty mystery, with surprisingly a touch of comedy!

What a fun mystery series!

This was a really good dark and gritty series. I loved watching all the plotting, scheming and mystery behind the Wufeng spies and their mission to infiltrate the Gong family. I had so much fun coming up with my own theories and watching the revelations. The web of lies and mystery had me on my toes!

The only frustrating thing was that a lot of the fighting capabilities of the "good" characters seemed quite inconsistent. They'd win fights against strong people but lose to weaker people so it had me scratching my head at times. I just wish they found a way to move the plot along without creating that kind of inconsistency.

Surprisingly enough, I didn't really care much about the romance in this. Like it was nice, but I personally would have preferred more focus on the bonding between all the Gong brothers/cousins etc. I wish we got more scenes of all the brothers working together than the romance plot imo. But I'm still overall satisfied with how things played out.

I loved the OST in this drama so much! I loved that we got to see the backstories of some of the spies and why they became what they were. The way the ost was used during backstories and all throughout the drama was A+.

Also, scene stealers for me in this series were the scenes between ZiShang/Xiao Hei, and ZiShang/Jin Fan. Common denominator being ZS. I just loved this girl so much. She's so wacky and every scene with her brought out so many fun and light moments that gave us a break from the bleary and dark tones of this drama. Everybody's acting in this was amazing. Shang Jue's menacing glares but rare soft smiles, Yuan Zhi's psychotic smirks but childish nature, ZiShang's happy go lucky personality covering her sadness/desire for love, Yun Weishan's girlish nature hidden behind her cold upbringing, Zi Yu having a boyish/unserious nature while wanting be acknowledged and taken seriously. Each one of these characters played their roles so well and I loved that they weren't one dimensional characters. More so, I loved that we were given enough time to actually flesh out these chsracters and see their true nature behind the face they put on for the world. Everyone on the cast did a fantastic job.

I don't like that this was set up for a S2 but there was still some plotlines and character backgrounds that beed to resolved so it makes sense that a S2 will be needed and I'm more than likely going to watch it if/when released. I also just want to see my man, Shangjue, be happy and smile. Sigh.

Overall, it was a really engaging mystery drama!

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Completed
Jun & Jun
1 people found this review helpful
Oct 22, 2023
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 5.5

Not much

Honestly, there's not much in terms of depth to this drama. I only liked it for the basic reason of wanting to see two men fall in love. The cute romance between Choi Jun and Lee Jun and watching Choi Jun's unique flirtation skills had me giggling.

The drama unfortunately falls short in terms of plot/story, acting and dialogue. The plot and dialogue just came across as being so unserious. The dialogue is sometimes so bizarre, albeit funny, but that makes me take the drama more like a joke. Acting was okay, not necessarily awkward, but they just need to get more experience so they can appear more natural. A lot, if not all, of the actors are likely new to acting, so this was understandable. Despite the acting not being the best, I thought the main MCs had good chemistry and they both looked natural and it appeared like they were comfortable playing as a couple, so I feel sad that they didn't get a good storyline to make use of their good looks and chemistry.

Overall, I won't be raving about this drama or recommending it to people, but it was not terrible...just unserious. If you're in a drama drought or bored and just want to watch something light, then you can give this a go.

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The Devil Judge
1 people found this review helpful
Sep 13, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 5.0

In the face of corruption, how far is too far for the sake of justice?

What an enthralling drama!

Devil Judge was an entertaining drama that dealt with topics revolving around corruption, justice, fairness, law, revenge, politics, greed, and morally gray characters.

Judge Yo Han is a true to the bone anti-hero you want to root for but also can't help but doubt his intentions and methods. Watching this drama, you are bound to skirt the lines between wanting to achieve justice while preserving your morals and wanting to abandon those morals for the sake of justice/seeing all corrupt people burn. I truly found this drama entertaining because it made me really question what I would do if I were in Yo Han's or Ga On's shoes and that made me relate/understand their motivations and actions, despite them being different. Ga On and Yo Han were on different ends of the spectrum, morally speaking, so you get to see both perspectives in the drama. Yo Han is a morally gray character who does whatever he deems appropriate for the overall sake of justice(more like his personal revenge story imo), while Ga On is a character that has a firm belief in what is wrong vs right and acts in a way that does not stray from the law and his beliefs.

The most entertaining part of this drama was watching the Live Court proceedings and wondering just what innovative method Yo Han will inflict as punishment on the criminals. As the drama goes on, I went into the mindset of thinking the show took place in a dystopian society, as that's the only way I could see any of what was going on as believable. The whole concept behind the Live Courts just felt very Black Mirror, and was really fun to watch, but also towards the ending, started to feel a bit too over the top.

My interest was peaked from episode 1 and I couldn't stop watching. While I had frustrations with character decisions, Ga On mainly, I still enjoyed the show for the most part. The main cast also did a great job. We all know JiSung is amazing so nothing more to note there. I was also very satisfied with Cha Gyung Hee's actress, and Chairwoman Sun Ah's actress (although the latter sometimes did have too much of an airy voice (?) Lmao but I believe that was more of a character trait, than an acting issue). Other actors were okay, but only 1 really took away from the experience for me and it was Juk Chang's actor. My displeasure is probably more due to the way the character was written itself but I also just didn't like the actor's acting. It was a minor role that turned into more of a bigger role towards the end of the drama so I likely feel more annoyed about it than I normally would.

There's a little bit of romance in this between Ga On and his police officer best friend, but it is not the focus. I actually thought their relationship was cute and approved it because their story makes sense as they both have supported eo since they were teens. Before watching this drama, I was familiar with it due to having watched multiple clips on Youtube where it was inferred there was a BL story between Yo Han and Ga On. But honestly, after watching the drama, their relationship felt more like bromance/family than anything else. Sad, I know (there were moments where you can sorta feel Yo Han is into Ga On, but they were too little and short for me to really focus on, so I just enjoyed the drama as is and didn't think about the possible BL undertones after a point).

Overall, it's a really fun series. I had a great time watching and getting to know the characters, especially Yo Han. The overall plot was good too just a bit too exaggerated/over the top for my taste.

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