Script, vibes and acting.
I'll keep this short.This is one of my most rewatched K-dramas. The script makes sense from beginning to end (which in turn means that the characterisation is also a 10 out of 10), the cinematography brings the vibes, and the chemistry between the majority of the actors is 10 out of 10. And the humour is through the roof. I love dramas that bring comedy through the characters and the situations that occur because of their actions, and that is exactly what this drama gives tenfold. I also love detailed profile-type criminal cases to follow (if you've ever seen and love to watch Criminal Minds, this is just a way more humorous version of that with a dash of fraud). The writing doesn't slack off towards the end, but brings the whole drama to a satisfying close. Also, the ml actor and his entourage clearly were enjoying themselves making this drama, and I like it when actors bring their A game and also love what they do, it makes the whole experience so much fun to watch.
The only thing is the fml. They might have messed up in the casting department by adding her in this role. But everything else is such a 10 out of 10 that I keep coming back to this drama.
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An Enemies to Lovers story, a political slice of life drama.
This Cdrama is part of the influx of well-made dramas within recent years. This script, cinematography, and chemistry between all the actors are incredible to witness, so much so that when I finished it the first time, I had to take some time to think about what about it affected me so much... And then rewatch again and again. This is one of my most rewatched Cdramas yet.As someone in this day and age, I managed to sit through each episode at a time WITHOUT skipping.
The main characters feel real to me, although it is a concept that has been done many times in the past and there will be many more to come: a general and a lady. But the way their stories are told, their history, motivations, aspirations and their promises feel real. Experiencing the events unfold with them, the raw emotions, even their facial expressions, body language and the way they spoke left me intrigued; almost like every single word and its meaning mattered.
Somehow I understood who these individuals were on a fundamental level within the first few episodes.
Of course, that didn't mean I could predict what would happen.
It pulled me in slowly; it made me feel like I was experiencing the life they were living with them. The storytelling and the characterisation felt deep, emotionally complicated, but incredibly smart and capable. Both of the main leads are strong and weak in their own ways, but they balanced each other out.
The most intriguing thing about this story was how it set up certain expectations and then flipped the script in multiple ways, sometimes subtly or directly, but all believably and understandably. Some clichés and tropes exist purely because it is a historical drama, but the way the script handled these clichés is admirable, and in turn, so is the way the two main characters handle them. This story, for me, isn't about the "villains" and "stupid side characters". It's about the relationships and the development of them; what each values individually and how agency works within relationships.
This story is definitely something I have come back to over and over again because it is a comfort show, a slice of life, growing together in love.
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