kara

Hot Mess

PS: it's my first time writing a review so bear it with me
I must say that I feel underwhelmed about the whole drama. The casting choice was good and the special effects were all well done but something important was missing from the plot.
I liked the topics that were addressed and how those were adressed. From the characters' pov, the story was confusing and jumpy. It felt like a lot of important scenes were removed from the script. Instead of those, there were only action scenes.
Regardless of this factor, I completed it. I don't know if it was the smartest move to leave this drama with an incomplete ending knowing how past netflix series have been treated. Would I rewatch it? No, because I would grow to hate it

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the theme will expire if you keep going in circles

let's start off with the bad things about this drama. leads' story lines went in too many circles for my liking. this could've cut the series by 10 episodes at least. however, SY and LY acted the hell out of these characters. it's probably the best acting that i've seen from both of them. surprisingly, i enjoyed the side couples' story lines. the other story line that should've been shorter, was her mother passing away. k!lling an elderly person has become a standard so it ends up giving NOTHING to the story. the music was really off putting at the times. they were targeting international audience but it fell flat. i would've preferred if they used already existing english songs.

also, this drama have so many incredible one liners "the harder i work ,the harder i will fall", "the snacks will expire if you leave them out for too long", "it's your business if you you wish to stay in the past but i'm not obligated to wait for you in the same place" etc

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surprising news: netflix destroys yet another series to promote a remake

this whole season feels like "buy one get one free" offer. my criticism towards previous season felt really justified after finishing this dragged-out season.
no eul, in ho and gi hun heavily carried this season. i wish we could've learned more about in ho, since he's the most complicated character in the show. also, no eul was handled pretty poorly, but it was nothing compared to all other additional characters - or should i say, cannon fodder. they literally had no purpose other than to provide cute tiktok edits or pro-life propaganda (which no one really dares to bring up).
this season's saving grace was gi hun's character development. for the first time, viewers can see him struggle with the games in the way that has never shown before. in previous seasons, he had hope for a better tomorrow. after his failed attempt at leaving the games, gi hun becomes more vulnerable and unstable. unlike others, he never loses focus on why he first joined the games, which was to support his family financially. this is beautifully shown through him keeping jun hui's baby alive, which in the end cost him his own life. the scene where other players try to kill a baby to win the games was probably one of the most fcked up scenes i've seen in a TV series in a long time, but it was also so well written that i can't complain. as a viewer you can tell this scenario was written by someone questioning the future of the humanity.
honestly, i don't see anything wrong with the ending. there's no what ifs or buts. i'm just glad that the baby and junho survived. i had no hope for other characters. season 2 and 3 point was to promote the american remake anyway. hopefully, hwang can have a nice holiday on a remote island [without the games] as he wished for.

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One of the worst k-dramas released in 2025

Honestly, I can't point out one thing that I enjoyed about this drama. Sure, it had an unique premise, superhero who needs money to have powers, but writing went downhill pretty quickly. The pacing was horrendous. There were long scenes featuring antagonists doing their "evil stuff". This drama is something I literally finished only because I wanted to see how bad it could get. Spoiler alert: it got pretty bad. The biggest issue was the directing. Why do we need to see character in every angle before he/she moves? There was also a weird camera sequence in last episode with the apartment building. The editing didn’t help either, nor did the soundtrack choices. Why play intense instrumental track after someone at the gunpoint doesn't get his brains blown out?
It might sound harsh, but I couldn't tell whether the acting was bad because of the editing or it was just generally bad. After Typhoon Family, what a downgrade this drama is for Lee Junho. It's not even worse recent performance by him but for most of the cast. I'm only pointing him out because he was the one who made me tune in for this drama. The rest of the cast doesn't have that star power.
This drama feels like something only a five-year-old could enjoy.

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Better Than Expected

I started watching this drama on a whim and ended up loving it. It gave off the vibe of early 2020s kdramas, largely because the writer mixed comedy and drama so well. The highlights were the acting and chemistry of the main cast (the core four), the intriguing plot, and the ending.
However, the story telling it self isn't flawless. There are a few minor issues, and some of the casting choices regarding the supporting and guest characters were questionable. Overall, it was an enjoyable watch from start to finish.
I'd recommend this drama to anyone who has been missing good justice dramas.

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A Siren’s Downfall

I don’t know what the writer was thinking with this setup. I found myself pitying the female lead all the way until the final scene, because the writer completely failed her character. She showed so much potential in her introduction, but as the story progressed, she became a plot device.
Also, it’s frustrating how the drama was falsely advertised, presenting both leads as equals. In reality, the female lead goes from being an independent woman to a damsel in distress by the end of the series. And don’t even get me started on the male lead basically acting like a full-time stalker.
The only saving grace of this drama is the acting. Otherwise, it would’ve been a straightforward 6/10 for me.

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it's cute

I'll admit, I was drawn to watch this film because of the hype. No need to beat around the bush, it didn’t live up to my expectations. The acting is fine, but the storytelling is the real issue. honestly, I can't blame the audience. The hype probably came from the lack of strong k-dramas/k-films this year. it reminded me of the c-19 era when everyone was suddenly releasing good music, simply because people were hungry for something to hold on to. However, I’m not the kind of person who can survive on crumbs; I need a full meal. This plot has been done hundreds times in other EA films, (especially in China and Japan), where seems to be a strange obsession with killing off characters in romance films. Within the first ten minutes, I guessed the entire story arc, and I haven’t done that in a while.

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mothers are mothering

This drama really surprised me with how good it was. The best way to describe it is: a hidden gem. It feels like an oasis in the desert (current kdrama landscape). the number of female-centered dramas seems to be decreasing every year like the population of pandas, and I find myself hunting for them more and more. this drama's strengths are strong leading ladies, solid storytelling, and high rewatch value which most of the dramas lack nowadays.
i recommend this to anyone who enjoys the mystery genre with a little bit of slice-of-life.
personally, i'm already looking forward to confirmed season 2.

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one of the best drama releases this year

this is what happens when you give great actors a great script. everything from the first episode until the last episode was thought through. also, i really liked that the divorce cases were portrayed realistically [court cases can last long and are often messy].
the only complaints i have are regarding two story lines. first, CEG forcing her daughter to interact with her dad, which felt out of character for her. secondly, the whole one sided crush trope between EG and UJ. it's as if writers threw it in the first episodes, but didn't know what to do with it in the final episode. overall, it's a great watch, and i'm thankful to whoever thought casting jang nara and nam jihyun as leading ladies.
PS: if you're a romcom enjoyer, you've come to the wrong place

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surprisingly good

it was on my planned to watch list for quite some time, so i'm glad that i finally watched it. this drama's strongest point is the bond between the women from different backgrounds. currently, a lot of kdramas are struggling with portraying friendship between 3 women without one of them becoming more of a supporting character. another thing ,which i loved about this drama is that comedy isn't forced (despite it being an older drama). it's all thanks to the great acting by three leading ladies and storytelling. this drama def isn't for hopeless romantics, but slice of life enjoyers. the moral of the story is finding OWN way in life, despite age

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