ColourMePurple

Could not match the Original

Strong Girl Namsoon started off on a great note and it was a breath of fresh air. However, it slowly started to lose sight of plot by focusing on an absurd number of characters that are not even secondary to the plot. They just don't contribute in any way.

Although I'm not writing this series off completely (at least not until the final 2 episodes have aired), I feel bad at how it went from being a wonderfully original and stand alone show to an inferior second season.

The highlight of the show was the Gang family's women and their super strength, their connection and how they handle their power. But the limelight should have stayed on Gang Namsoon since the show is named after her. The two MLs - HeeSik and Ryo Si Oh (which sounds a lot like Russia) were actually great for the plot and Namsoon's interactions with them was the only thing that made this show entertaining. Seeing some of the more lighter sides to Ryo Si Oh was enjoyable as was seeing Hee Sik falling in love and getting jealous. You could actually find yourself rooting for both guys are certain points.

Problem is all the distraction of the main plot with useless things like Namsoon's uncle being unrealistically weak despite having no real illness, Namsoon's grandmother's love story and annoyance with her husband, the Bread Song character and his assistant being almost unwatchable among few other moments that I only got through by speeding through the episodes.

There are some nice comic moments involving the 3 women showcasing their strengths along with cute moments involving Namsoon and the two men because of which I can still rate this series an 8. But it is a far cry from the original Strong Woman Do Bong Soon which is definitely one of my favourites. That's because they knew how to focus on the star of the show. It would have been okay to have all these extra characters if they had ensured that the focus doesn't shift too much to all these extra characters. Like the homeless couple who were interesting at the beginning but later became a chore to watch. These are the things that truly weakened the story and destroyed it's core value.

I hope there will be some redeeming qualities in the final two episodes. I'll be updating and possibly revising the review then.

The OST is nice. Sounds even better sped up. heh.

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Cute But Toxic

The show starts off with questionable (noncon) behaviour by Han Tao towards his childhood friend Junxi.

The first half of the show was somewhat interesting but with lack of honesty and communication between the two. They also had a sweet friend Lin Xiao Yang who was supportive of them. Fortunately they did not create an evil woman trope which many BLs do. There are also some cute moments. This ends the positive aspect of the drama.

The couple are not really that well suited since Han Tao is extremely insecure and that impacts Junxi too. He lies to Junxi and uses very wrong methods to approach him instead of being direct about his feelings which is extremely problematic. They spend several episodes running from each other instead of communicating openly and honestly. When Junxi needs space romantically to figure out where his feelings are, Han Tao starts to completely ignore him which I found quite manipulative. It was also revealed that in the past, he actively blocked any women that tried to approach Junxi instead of confessing his own feelings. In real life, this couple will probably not last since they are insecure and jealous. To be honest Han Tao is not only a bad partner but also a terrible friend.

The writers also added so many misleading cliffhangers in the episodes which made it seem like they were purposely trying to create drama without there being any need for it. That led to even more annoyance while watching. This continued till the very end of the show where they introduce a big problem in the second last episode and it turns out to be a nothing burger in the end. Honestly it felt like cheap tricks to make viewers go through an emotional rolloercoaster if you are watching the drama on-going week to week.

It would have been better if they had put some focus on the two girls - Lin Xiao Yang and He You Mei or trying to get the main leads to work towards a healthier relationship. Instead they just added new issues each episode.

The drama is all right. Not really something to talk about other than the nonconsensual and toxic behaviour that wasn't really addressed. For me, it made me lose my intial interest and some episodes also felt boring. I also grew to dislike Han Tao.

The main OST called Sunshine, however, is pretty awesome. I love listening to it.

Since the episodes are around 20 - 25 mins long, it's okay to watch once. But if you skip, you're not missing much.

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Not-so-subtle American Propaganda

American and Korean soldiers invading the Middle East to kill children but let's make it pallatable by putting a gun in a child's hand so now killing brown kids is heroic and a matter of duty. A Korean child who was sold to America grew up and started distributing guns illegally in SK. Let's make sure everyone knows he's evil by making him wear a keffiyah similar to Palestinians to depict he's scary and evil. Well done Netflix! After kpop, it's kdramas trying to normalise genocide.

Now besides throwing in forced nudity (and yes Trigger is no exception), we also have to be forced to see American war propaganda in Korean dramas thanks to Netflix?

After successfully killing 99 people in the Middle East, our ex-soldier cop grows a conscience vowing to never kill again. Except he'll kill again or else why are we watching a show called Trigger?

Let's get to the main plot. One day, someone starts distributing guns to people who seem frustrated by their circumstances. Instead of a vigilante siltuation where he personally decides to help people, he lets them take matters into their own hands by giving them a gun. On one hand he is giving a bullied school kid and a bullied nurse a gun, on the other hand he sends one to a violent man who comitted a sexual crime. He sends one to someone who lost their son to bad company safety regulations and also gives guns to gang members. There is no logic. You don't need to create a sad backstory for a person who just wants to create chaos due to his childhood circumstances.

But remember he's a bad guy. He illegally taps everyone's guns through hacking of their phones. Only American and other governments are allowed to do to spy on their citizens using Israeli Pegasus software. No one should have access to people's personal information except private companies like Spotify demanding your legal ID. Also remember 3 letter agencies are the good guys. They rescue internationally trafficked kids and definitely don't ship off civilians to a prison in Cuba or Alcatraz.

This show has a lot of senseless violence and killing including school violence. Ironically the bullies and scammers survive amidst all of that. Yay!

If the point was that guns are dangerous and civilians should not hope for legalization of guns, then the solution should be to root out the reason why a civilian would need a gun by creating strong laws. Protect children from being bullied, prevent human trafficking with harsh punishments to traffickers as well as scammers, give longer sentences to rapists, etc. Improve the law and you'll have order. This show really lost itself and the point that it was trying to make by creating an extremely unlikely and absurd scenario where people get a gun and don't question why it was even sent to them. They don't question anything and just start shooting.

Someone else mentioned this that when our smart cop knew a gunman was headed to the police station, why didn't they lock it down? Also, why didn't they alert everyone there? Just shows their inadequacies rather than heroism.

I also found it strange that at the first shooting site, our hero cop sees an opportunity to shoot the killer and he just goes back out. It reminded me of a real incident in a US school shooting where the cops wouldn't go into the school and prevented parents from going in to save their kids as well.

The reason I keep bringing up real life issues especially political ones is because this is a politically charged drama and ignores the reality that those that are trained to kill aren't exactly our saviours.

I'm sure there are better dramas where you can see heroic cops save the day without this much American propaganda push. I normally love everything Kim Nam Gil does but him chosing this project was disappointing.

If you want to mindlessly watch some action then go for it.

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An easy watch

I haven't watched many dramas as the airport setting so I really enjoyed that the plot actually revolves around many issues and day to day lives of the various staff employed at an airport - from pilots (main focus), cabin crew, mechanics to ground handling staff. It's done fairly well. Would have loved to see more of that in fact. A lot of the story revolves around the office politics and struggles of our female lead much of which is the result of misogyny.

The main plot is about a young enthusiastic female pilot, Cheng Xiao, who is transferred to flying commercial planes whereas she worked in the transport department thus has to go through a period of training. Unlike other male pilots, she faces harsher scrutiny at every stage and she pushes herself harder to prove her worth. Gu Nanting, is an experienced pilot who is one of the best at Luzhao Airlines. He is also in charge of training Cheng Xiao. He has also had a tragic experience which makes him a stickler for rules and safety.

The pace of the series is decent but can feel a bit slow at times. If you're main focus is romance, then you are in for a long haul flight. This will be the slowest of slow burn romances ever. But the writers depict a good build up of chemistry between the leads despite their contrasting personalities. We also have a very strong contender for the second lead syndrome - Ni Zhang, who works as the chief engineer. He is also a long time friend of Gu Nanting and probably understands him best. The show depicts a very mature version of bromance. It's subtle but you can feel it.

Among a lot of the other characters, I also enjoyed the character of the pilot, Song, who is a colleague and friend of Cheng Xiao.

Probably the most frustrating characters on the show is the FL's mother. I simply could not stand her. She actually made some of the episodes unbearable for me.

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed the show. I'm glad I picked it up.

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Terrible in more ways than 1

It's highly unusual that a drama would rile me up as much as Longing For You has. I had such high expectations after the first episode but it was a let down very soon into the show.

The Good:
The idea behind the plot was good and it started off as an interesting mystery with the serial killings.
The OST is great. I love the intro theme song.
Some of the beginning and later episodes are good but not enough to make up for places it lacks.
Some of the loose ends are tied.

The Awful:
Predictable - by the 4th episode, you will know exactly what has happened. The rest of the episodes is just the rest of the characters being oblivious and not able to guess anything and it is beyond frustrating to watch them run around like headless chickens.
Poor acting - Usually I can blame the writing for ruining a show. But not here. The actors have done such an unconvincing job at every stage. I felt like not a single person cared for Jin Woo. Not his brother, not his mother, not his adoptive mother, not his friend, Young Joo. He had no one! Even towards the end, I didn't feel like anyone cared in the courtroom. Nor when they were first watching the videos. A normal mother or family member would cry and scream in such types of situations. They would be out of control. Nope. Not this family. They, at best, could muster a teary-eyed shocked look on their face. That was the most heart-breaking thing. I've seen extras in other dramas react more than this group. I, in fact, was feeling more emotions than those family members.
Humanizing the villains - This was beyond annoying. Making killers and psychopaths "look" remorseful. People can't just take lives without a thought if they were humane to begin with. It's not like they were acting in self-defense. The writers should have let those characters stay villains. You made them look pathetic by the end. And some were doing comedy. Really? And Dr. Choo gets no punishment after what he did? How can the family even trust this man, let alone be normal with him?
Romance - well, there is no romance. Also, there is no chemistry between the two people who apparently like each other. When they confess their feelings, I went, "huh? what?". I couldn't believe it. This is a very minor point though. I don't care if there was romance or not. But if you are writing it into the plot, at least make it believable.
Convenient evidence and confessions - again, this is a minor point since most shows that want to take down villains end up finding all the evidence necessary. It was just the brazenly tight-lipped murderers all decided to confess one by one. The evidence that was supposedly non-admissible was suddenly allowed in the courtroom. At least stay consistent with your own arguments or explain why they were allowed in court.

One should usually be satisfied when things are wrapped up but looking at everyone joking around and happy till the end, I felt like beating those characters up for never once fully mourning when they should have. They frustrated me throughout the series.

I would like to forget I ever saw this show with how disappointed I feel.

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A Trope I Always Wanted To See

If you've ever wondered whether actors fall for each other for real, if they ever develop real feelings, then drama is definitely something you'd enjoy! It might be my favourite drama of 2026! And I don't hand out 10s willy nilly. PS. Every episode has an end credit scene!

Trigger Warning: rape depiction; mild spoilers ahead

From the very first opening shot, Deep In (the Act) had me hooked. One must note that it doesn't perfectly follow how actors on sets are managed. The focus is on how 2 actors dive into their roles in order to get intimate and lines start to blur between fiction and reality. Both actors are straight and these feelings make them feel confused.

The drama really upped the game for all Chinese BLs with their NC scenes. Going from watching BL stories turned into bromance to no holds bar drama was quite shocking. At the same time, there is no nudity and yet you can feel the sexual tension and chemistry between the characters! The intimate scenes were really done well.

The shift between the actors' lives and drama scenes at times are really seemless and watching the drama scenes were quite enjoyable. It was like watching 2 dramas for the price of one.

Regarding the rape scenes, I do want to mention that this was dealt as a serious topic rather than an act of love by a partner. It was treated as negative and not romanticised in anyway. It was important to the story of the drama they were starring in. However, it can be uncomfortable/traumatic to watch, especially ep 6.

Deep In really sent me on a rollercoaster of emotions, including anger and disgust. I found myself waiting excitedly for each episode's release. This is a drama that is best binge watched because waiting became hard.

The actors, Ollie and Shu Yuan did a great job creating a distinction between themselves as actors and the roles they were playing, especially Ollie. He's only 20 but I was really taken aback by his talent. I can't believe he was the same kid from Boys Planet. The improvement has been spectacular! I genuinely hope both of them get flooded with more projects after Deep In. All the supporting actors did a good job even when they made you hate them and made the show a fun watch!

The drama's cinematography and OST are brilliant. Back To You and Tiger In My Love (sung by Ollie) are my current favourites but Titanic is another lovely song. Also the ending song in ep12 was amazing.

I hope everyone gives this drama a fair chance and hopefully you'll also experience the charm of Deep In!

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Awaiting Part 2

These 4 episodes are part 1. Part 2 is yet to be announced but what an exciting start!

The story revolves around the ML who has been falsely implicated in a company corruption scandal and someone decides to help him anonymously. The episodes initally were a bit confusing since we weren't sure what was happening. Each episode reveals the information little by little so we get the full picture of the situation.

Sukfilm is known to hide extra kiss scenes behind membership but even without those, the drama is very intriguing. I'm glad they tried a mystery short. Also the other lead gave me chills with the way he switched personas. He has done a great job in this drama! I'm looking forward to seeing how this drama concludes in part 2.

The music as usual is really great but you won't find Sukfilm OST without a membership.

It's worth a binge or wait till part 2 is also out. Either way, part 1 is worth watching for the acting and the thrill!

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Entertaining

Trigger warning - rape trope

The story overall is good - FL is raised as a son because the family is obsessed with continuing the family line. ML gets entangled with the FL because he is drugged on his wedding day and ends up raping the FL. Next day he starts searching for the woman but doesn't recognise her in her man's getup. FL chooses to help him to delay and cancel his wedding to her step-sister.

There is a lot happening, and even though the backstory of the FL is sad, she is not portraying a completely helpless woman. The ML is obnoxious but also somewhat decent (besides being a rapist - wish they did have this pathetic trope). The side characters are interesting like the FL's cousin, the ML's mother, etc. There are a lot of funny scenes - some intended some not. They even mock a certain drama trope of paying off the girl. You certainly won't be bored.

If they didn't introduce the leads through rape, I might have give this show a slightly better rating. They glossed over this and it's effects on the FL but at least she somewhat got revenge for it which I quite enjoyed. The FL focuses more on her own backstory and family revenge. Comedy is the main reason the show is entertaining but again it might not be everyone's cup of tea which is why I wanted to highlight the trope so those who need to can avoid this drama all together.

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A delightful watch!

I didn't expect to like it so much! Loved the use of time travel without a lot of the limitations of the time travel so it was quite enjoyable. The development of the story was great and felt natural as well. Some parts of the story were a bit slow and there could have been a bit more romance but overall, it was loads of fun to watch!

The characters were great, leads had a lot of chemistry and worked well together. For a change they don't make women seem evil in this which was refreshing! The side characters are interesting and their story doesn't distract from the main characters' storyline so it was a good balance. It's nice to see positive characters and a few grey characters. Made it more natural.

A little bit on the predictable side and also there are asexual couples too but one character seems to highlight the importance of sex. It would have been nice to see the characters to have a conversation about their concerns with their partner.

The music is nice. Will be looking into the songs.

The show might be a 9 but because I was enjoying it a lot I bumped it to a 9.5. This is the kind of drama one needs to get you out of your drama slump!

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Disappointing and frustrating ending

It really started strong. I loved Baek Ah Jin as a sociopath and how she only harmed those who harmed her (except 1 person). She did her best in getting back at people determined to harm her. But the ending really ruined everything for me. All she wanted was to get to a position where no one can harm her.

At first I was envious of her being able to have 3 men who love her so much but Jun Seo was so disappointing. The only 2 people who loved her were Jae O and In Kang but sadly In Kang was weak. I wish his grandmother hadn't passed away. I wish Ah Jin wasn't being pressured into breaking up with him. I feel horrible for Ah Jin's life. She just couldn't catch a break. My heart breaks for her.

I just hated the way Jun Seo behaved at the end. Undid everything Jae O went through for Ah Jin. Made his sacrifice a waste. Meanwhile Moon Do Hyeok got away scot-free. Really frustrating.

Just left a bad taste in my mouth.

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Full joy, laughter and epic nature scenes

It was far better than I expected! Lee Je Hoon, Kwak Dong Yeon, Cha Eun Woo and Dong Hwi worked really well together and made this series a truly entertaining watch with a lot of moments that make you laugh.

Kwak Dong Yeon is a total perfectionist and I loved the way he cooks. Cha Eun Woo also surprised me with his skills. He is also bubbling with naughtiness. Lee Je Hoon is as sweet as expected and his willingness to try and work hard is cute. Dong Hwi is serious but also manages to make the others crack up with his straight faced lines.

It is quite insightful into how people of Lapland live. It is certainly not an easy lifestyle but seems peaceful in a way. Unfortunately it didn't make me want to stay in a place like Lapland because I need my convenience electricity, water and proper toilets. The show is a good way to live vicariously through these 4 men's experiences. It also made me want to try cooking some of the Korean dishes.

I love that the series had a wonderful collection of songs especially English ones. And you also find the 4 cast members singing and enjoying themselves frequently.

It is hard to say much without giving away the best moments but it will certainly make you belly laugh at multiple instances. So do give it a watch!

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Greed leads to Evil

Although the plot is not unique, it is certainly interesting and a fun journey. It makes you want to keep coming back for more. I started Evilive for Shin Ha Kyun who I enjoyed seeing in Beyond Evil. However, Kim Young Kwang is a total treat to watch and is perfect as a gangster that keeps you guessing.

Don't let the 18+ rating turn you away from this. Although there is some gore, it doesn't drag into the series once it starts going and it is more to do with the journey of the two leads and how they impact each other. Although, Shin Jae Ha doesn't have a huge role, you will find yourself concerned for him and feel connected with his character within this complicated situation. His brother plays an exceptionally smart character that has a knack for quick thinking in difficult and dangerous situations.

This series doesn't represent the fight between good versus evil but rather how one defines greed and whether there is room for an acceptable evil.

All actors have done a remarkable job. Bae Na Ra is another eye candy and I will be looking out for him in future projects.

The opening theme for Evilive, In the Darkest Night, is lovely and the other OST, Prayer, is quite soothing.

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Very Slow and Doesn't Achieve Its Goal

The first episode started off fine but in between Heartbeat started to drag a lot. I disliked watching the struggle of the teokbokki restaurant owning vampire and the tarot card reading vampire. Man Hwi and Rose were the most interesting support characters and I liked them the best. I enjoyed scenes with them in it the most as well.

The show was about a vampire who wanted to experience his heart beating for love which is why he wanted to become human. I am not sure if we really got that. It seems the writers wrote themselves into a corner and decided the viewers will be satisfied with that. They could have done this same ending in fewer episodes and it would be less disappointing. It just made me glad that I binged a lot of the episodes together instead of watching weekly as it was not worth watching something this slow moving only for a semi-satisfying ending.

The main leads didn't even get enough romantic moments together. Too many distractions and running around. Second male lead and second female lead were also all right. I'd say most of the characters are very muted.

One can keep guessing if the ending was real or imagined. I thought it was just okay. Not what I had hoped for at least.

The comedy tag doesn't suit this show either. I can't remember one moment that I felt was funny.

If you like the leads, you might enjoy this series otherwise, it's best to pass. It's average.

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Series fans should watch for the ending

For those that enjoyed the original series, this is going to bring back memories but the movie also serves something brand new.

The Downsides:
1. The movie expects that you understand the relationship between the characters from watching the series and some of the scenes will only make sense if you have already watched the series.
2. Everything is condensed and a bit complex. The series gave you enough time to understand what was happening in a very detailed way. This is where the movie lacks. But when you do understand, it's enjoyable!
3. Mo Jun Jie doesn't have much of a role.

The Upsides:
1. Because it's explores new timelines, it won't feel like a summation of the series but builds upon the original concepts and is exciting.
2. The movie ending is what most fans needed to see with the original series. And it genuinely made me smile. It makes up for what the series lacked.

Although on it's own, it will feel incomplete and disconnected but after the series, it will be a trip down memory lane.

Some new songs were added to the original tracks but tbh, nothing beats the original.

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Sweet couple with lots of family politics

Since I found the English subs, I thought I should add a review. The drama is cute. I enjoy dramas where the female lead is strong, intelligent and capable. The chemistry between the male and female leads is sweet. Although the story is not ground-breaking but it is still enjoyable to watch. There are many twists and turns due to family politics. The male lead has remarkably expressive eyes. I enjoyed his character quite a bit. The female lead has also done a wonderful job.

The drama also has a few flaws. Both the husband and wife are hiding a secret. The female lead gets very angry with the male lead for his secret. That aspect didn't make any sense to me considering she has her own. There is also something both are investigating but nothing comes out of it. I don't know why that segment was added in the show and then forgotten about. It is not dealt with in the second season either.

These are the only reasons why I have deducted from my total score. Overall, it's an enjoyable watch. Very engrossing.

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